•«■  -      nUNCETON,  N.  J. 

No.  ca.c,     i-^3.c'.:BSJ.3.75J 
No.Sh,H,    -4^.„,]:^-u32- - 

No.  Booh,  JS  c.P.p^y    ( 


The  John   >1.  Krebs  Donation. 


nr 


LECTURES 


THE  BOOK  OF   ESTHER 


BY  THE   LATE 

THOMAS  M'CRIE,  D.  D. 

AUTHOR   OF    "the    LIFE    OF   JOHN    KNOX, 
&C,  &C.  &C. 


ROBERT    CARTER, 

58  Canal-street. 

1838. 


PRINTED  BY  W.  B.  &  T.  SMITH, 

CORNER  OF  MARKET  AND  DIYISION  STREETS. 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE    I. 
Esther  I.  1 — 9. 


PAGE. 

Introduction. — The  Penman — Canonical  Authori- 
ty— Apocryphal  x\dditions — Objections  Answered 
—The  Age  of  tlie  Book— The  Royal  Feast 9 


LECTURE    II. 

Esther  I.    10—22. 

Great  Feasts — The  King  Merry  with  Wine — The 
King's  Vanity — The  Pride  of  Vasati — Vashti 
Deposed — The  Counsel  of  Memucan — The 
Wisdom  of  Providence — The  Study  of  Provi- 
dence,      28 


IV  CONTENTS. 

LECTURE    III. 
Esther  II.  5—11;  15—20. 

PAGE. 

The  Elevation  of  Esther— Character  of  Mordeeai — 
Personal  Beauty — Esther  and  Moses — Mordecai's 
Presentiment — Advantages  of  Education — The 
Gratitude  of  Esther— Dutiful  Conduct  of  Esther,     45 

LECTURE    IV. 

Esther  II.  21—23;  III.  1—6. 

Divine  Providence— The  Treasonable  Plot— The 
Discoverv- — Fondness  for  Miracles — IMordecai 
Unrewarded — Haman's  Advancement — Morde- 
cai's Refusal, ^ 64 

LECTURE    V. 

Esther  III.  6—15. 

Haman's  Plan  of  Revenge — Divination — Calumnies 
of  Persecutors — The  Bribe — The  Decree  is  issued 
— Cruelty  of  Persecutors — Rulers  and  People, . .     73 


CONTENTS.  V 

LECTURE    VI. 
Esther  IV.  1—12. 

PAGE. 

Hainan's  Arts — Feelings  inider  Affliction — Morde- 
cai's  Distress — Perplexity  of  Esther, 91 

LECTURE    VII. 

Esther  IV.    13—17. 

True  Patriotism — Mordecai's  Arguments — His  First 
Argmuent — His  Second  Argument — Foundation 
of  Faith— Activity  of  Faith — Concluding  Argu- 
ment,    109 

LECTURE    VIII. 

Esther  IV.  15—17;  V.  1—8. 

Approach  to  the  King — Fasting — Fasting  Derided — 
Popery  Countenanced — Esther  in  Royal  Apparel 
— Fasting  aud  Supplication — Encouragements  to 
Prayer — Esther's  Prudence, 127 


Vl  CONTENTS. 

LECTURE   IX. 
Esther   V.    9 — 14. 

PAGE. 

The  Joy  of  the  Wicked — Real  Greatness — Pride — 
Haman's  Wounded  Pride — His  Discontentment 
— x\dvice  of  his  Friends, 147 

LECTURE   X. 

Esther  VL  1—11. 

Haman's  Rage — The  Wakefuhiess  of  the  King — 
JNIordecai's  Loyalty — Ingratitude  of  the  World — 
God's  Reward  of  Services — Haman  Outwitted — 
Haman  Humbled, 162 

LECTURE   XL 

Esther  VL  12—14. 

Overruling  Providence — Mordecai's  Humility — 
Haman's  Mortification — Miserable  Comforters — 
Haman's  Wretchedness, 179 


CONTENTS.  VU 

LECTURE   XII. 
Esther  YII.  1 — 6. 

PAGE. 

Recapitulation — Retributions  of  Providence — Est- 
her's Petition — Haman  Accused — Reflections — 
Impolicy  of  Persecution, 193 

LECTURE    XIII. 

Esther  VII.  7—10. 

Emotion  of  Ahasuerus — Haman  begs  for  his  Life — 
Haman's  Doom — Punishment  of  Pride, 208 

LECTURE   XIV. 

Esther  VIII.  1—5. 
Haman's  Estate  Confiscated— Mordecai  Exalted- 
Skill  in   Scripture— Esther's  Intercession— The 
True  Patriot, .^ 221 

LECTURE   XV. 

Esther  VIII.  7—17. 

Recapitulation — The  Persian  Law — Mordecai 's 
Letters — Robes  of  Office — Pious  Rulers — ^Joy  of 
the  Jews— Promises  to  the  Church, 236 


• 


VUl  CONTENTS. 

LECTURE   XVI. 
Esther  IX.  1—16. 

PAGE. 

The  Conflicting  Edicts — The  Conflict— Antiimthy 
to  the  Jews — Infatuation  of  tlie  Enemy — The 
Jews'  Victory — The  fate  of  Hainan's  Sons — 
Sympathy  with  Criminals — God's  Watchfuhiess 
— The  Jews'  Humanity , 255 

LECTURE   XVII. 

Esther  IX.  17—32. 

The  Victory  Celebrated — Mordecai's  Narrative — 
The  Feast  of  Purim — Authority  for  the  Feast — 
Religious  Festivals, 275 

LECTURE   XVIII. 

Esther  X. 

Scripture  History — Pious  Men — Apocryphal  Ac- 
counts— God's  Care  of  his  Church — Instruments 
Raised  up — Luther  and  Hamilton — Duty  of 
Trust  in  God— The  Old  Testament, 293 


LECTURES  ON  ESTHER 


LECTURE    FIRST. 

Esther  I.   1 — 9. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Ahasuerus  (this  is  Aha- 
siierus  which  reigned,  from  India  even  unto  Ethiopia,  over 
an  hundred  and  seven  and  twenty  provinces,)  that  in 
those  days,  when  tlie  King  Ahasuerus  sat  on  the  throne  of 
his  kingdom,  which  was  in  Shushan  tlie palace,  in  tlie  third 
year  of  his  reign,  he  made  a  feast  unto  all  his  princes  and 
his  servants ;  the  poicer  of  Persia  and  Media,  the  nobles 
and  princes  of  the  provinces,  being  before  him  :  when  he 
showed  the  riches  of  his  glorious  kingdom  and  the  honour  of 
his  excellent  majesty  many  days,  even  an  hundred  undfour- 
scji'e  days.  And  wlien  tliese  days  were  expired,  the  king 
made  a  feast  unto  all  the  people  that  were  present  in  Shu- 
shan the  palace,  both  unto  gnat  and  small,  seven  days,  in 
1 


10  LECTIIRE3    ON     ESTHER. 

the  court  of  the  garden  of  the  hmg's  palace  ;  where  joerc 
white,  green,  and  blue  hangings,  fastened  with  cords  of  fine 
linen  and  purple  to  silver  rings  and  pillars  of  marble :  the 
beds  were  of  gold  and  silver,  upon  a  pavement  of  red,  and 
blue,  and  white,  and  black  marble.  And  theij  gave  them 
drink  in  vessels  of  gold,  (the  vessels  being  diverse  one  from 
another,)  and  royal  wine  in  abundance,  according  to  the 
state  of  the  Jang.  And  the  drinking  icas  according  to  tlie 
law ;  none  did  compel :  for  so  the  king  had  appointed  to 
all  the  officers  of  his  house,  that  they  shoidd  do  according  to 
every  man'' s  pleasure.  Also  Vashti  tJie  queen  made  a  feast 
for  the  women  in  the  royal  house  whieh  belonged  to  King 
AJiasuerus. 

The  book  which  bears  the  name  of  this  distin- 
guished female  stands  intimately  connected  with 
its  two  predecessors,  and  forms  an  appropriate 
supplement  to  them.  The  writings  of  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah  are  chiefly  confiaed  to  the  affairs  of 
the  Jews  who  returned  to  their  native  country, 
and  bring  down  the  narrative  of  these  from  the 
edict  of  Cyrus  to  the  settlement  of  their  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  polity  by  Nehemiah,  compre- 
hending a  period  of  about  a  century. 

The  returned  captives,  however,  formed  but 
a  small  portion  of  the  posterity  of  Jacob,  and 


I  N  T  R  O  D  U  C  r  1  O  N  .  11 

we  feel  a  desire  to  be  acquainted  with  the  con- 
dition of  those  who  remained  behind  their  bre- 
thren, or  who  were  scattered  over  the  extensive 
territory  of  the  Medo-Persian  empire.  That 
God  should  protect  and  bless  those  who  obeyed 
his  command  by  leaving  Babylon,  who  favoured 
the  dust  of  ZioR,  and  took  pleasure  in  gathering 
her  stones  from  the  rubbish  in  which  they  had 
long  been  buried,  we  were  led  to  expect ;  but 
we  might  have  thought  that  their  countrymen 
who  lagged  behind,  who  preferred  slavery  or  an 
ignoble  ease  in  a  foreign  land  to  the  city  of  their 
fathers'  sepulchres,  and  the  privileges  of  the 
house  of  God,  would  have  been  deprived  of  the 
special  protection  of  Providence,  as  unworthy  of 
the  name  of  Israelites,  and  that  they  would  have 
been  left  to  reap  the  native  consequences  of  their 
own  choice,  and  to  bear  the  indignities  and 
oppression  to  which  strangers  and  captives  are 
ordinarily  subjected  by  their  conquerors  and 
masters.  God,  however,  deals  not  with  his  people 
according  to  their  weakness  and  folly,  but  saves 
them  for  his  name's  sake.  Accordingly,  we 
learn,  from  this  book,  that  those  who  were  scat- 


12  LECTURES     ON     liSTHER. 

tered  in  the  lands  of  the  heathen  were  cared  for, 
as  well  as  those  who  were  gathered  mto  the 
holy  land,  and  that  they  were  marvellously  p/e- 
served  when  a  hellish  plot  had  been  laid  for 
their  utter  extermination. 

The  watchful  care  which  God  exerts  over 
his  people  in  times  of  danger,  is  the  chief  lesson 
which  we  are  taught  by  this  portion  of  sacred 
history ;  but  it  is  not  the  only  lesson  which  it 
supplies.  It  lays  open  to  us  the  wonderful 
manner  in  which  he  who  "declares  the  end 
from  the  beginning"  provides  beforehand  for 
the  execution  of  his  purposes,  for  defeating  the 
schemes  of  his  adversaries,  and  rescuing  those 
who  put  their  trust  in  him.  It  shows  how 
easy  it  is  for  him  to  put  down  the  mighty  from 
their  seats,  and  to  exalt  them  of  low  degree ; 
how  slippery  is  the  path  of  ambition,  and  how 
deceitful  the  gale  of  prosperity,  which  raises 
its  votaries  aloft  that  it  may  dash  them  with 
greater  severity  to  the  ground  ;  and  how  much 
more  safe  it  is  to  put  our  trust  in  God,  and 
walk  humbly  with  him.  These,  with  other 
important   instructions  which  may   afterwards 


T  H  E     P  E  N  M  A  N  .  13 

present  themselves,  are  impressively  taught  by 
this  interesting  fragment  of  sacred  history. 

We  are  not  left  at  any  loss  as  to  the  writers 
of  the  greater  part  of  the  books  of  Scripture ; 
but  this,  though  an  important  circumstance,  is 
still  but  a  circumstance,  and  not  essential  to 
their  genuineness  and  authenticity.  The  Books 
of  Judges,  Kings,  and  Chronicles,  in  the  Old 
Testament,  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  in 
the  New,  do  not  contain  in  their  bosom  the 
names  of  their  penman ;  and  the  name  of  the 
person  on  the  title  is  not  always  that  of  the 
writer.  Thus,  the  Book  of  Ruth  is  so  desig- 
nated, not  because  that  female  wrote  it,  but 
because  it  contains  a  narrative  of  an  interesting 
period  of  her  life;  and,  perhaps,  the  same  thing 
may  be  said  of  the  Book  of  Job. 

The  Book  of  Esther  records  certain  astonish- 
ing events  in  the  life  of  that  illustrious  woman, 
but  it  does  not  follow  from  its  title  that  it  was 
composed  by  her.  The  supposition  that  it  was 
written  by  her  cousin  Mordecai,  carries  with  it, 
in  my  mind,  no  small  degree  of  probability. 
He  was  not  only  a  witness  of  the  transactions, 
1* 


14  L  E  C  T  L'  R  K  S     ON     E  «  T  H  K  R  . 

but  acted  a  principal  part  in  all  the  scenes 
which  are  described.  It  is  impossible,  or,  at 
least,  difficult  to  account  for  the  manner  in 
which  he  acted  respecting  Esther,  in  encoura- 
ging her  to  offer  herself  as  a  candidate  for  the 
royal  favour,  instructing  her  to  conceal  her 
country  and  her  relationship  to  him,  together 
with  other  circumstances  which  will  appear  in 
the  sequel,  without  concluding  that  he  was 
consciously  under  supernatural  direction.  "  By 
faith  Moses,  when  he  was  born,  was  hid  three 
months  of  his  parents,  because  they  saw  he 
was  a  proper  child."  And  what  was  said  of 
them  may  be  applied  to  Mordecai,  with  this 
addition,  that  he  seemed  to  combine  the  faith  of 
that  pious  couple,  with  the  presentiment  which, 
at  an  early  period  of  life,  agitated  the  breast  of 
their  son.  What  I  mean  is,  that  he  seems  to 
have  possessed  the  gift  of  prophecy,  or  at  least 
an  extraordinary  spirit,  similar  to  that  which 
fell  upon  those  who  were  raised  up  as  "Sa- 
viours" to  Israel,  to  avenge  their  cause  and 
deliver  them  from  their  enemies.  Who,  then, 
more  likely  to  have  been   employed  by  the 


CANONICAL     A  U  T  H  O  U  1  T  Y  .  15 

Spirit  of  God  in  penning  this  book  than  he  ? 
In  chapter  ninth,  verse  20th,  it  is  said, — "And 
Mordecai  wrote  these  things,  and  sent  letters 
unto  all  the  Jews  that  were  in  all  the  provinces 
of  the  King  Ahasuerus,  both  nigh  and  far." 
This  relates  more  immediately  to  what  had 
been  done  at  Shushan,  and  to  the  appointment 
of  an  anniversary  feast  in  commemoration  of 
their  deliverance.  But  what  more  natural  than 
that  he  should  afterwards  commit  to  writing 
the  facts  which  led  to  an  issue  so  felicitous  to 
his  countrymen,  and  so  grateful  to  himself  and 
his  royal  relative  ?  Some,  however,  have  sup- 
posed that  it  was  written  by  Ezra,  others  by 
Joiachim,  the  son  of  Joshua  the  high  priest,  and 
others  by  the  Great  Sanhedrim. 

It  is  of  more  importance  to  inquire  into  its 
canonical  authority.  In  the  first  place,  it  was 
received  and  acknowledged  as  canonical  by  the 
ancient  church  of  the  Jews,  to  whom,  as  the 
Apostle  tells  us,  "were  committed,"  as  a  sacred 
deposit,  "the  oracles  of  God."  Accordingly,  it 
formed  a  part  of  the  sacred  volume,  referred  to 
by  our  Lord  when  he  said,  "  Search  the  Scrip- 


1 G  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

tures,"  and  by  the  Apostle  when  he  said,  "  All 
Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is 
profitable."  In  the  threefold  division  of  the  Old 
Testament  made  by  the  Jews,  it  formed  a  part  of 
the  Hagiograph.  Besides,  in  the  regular  observ- 
ance of  the  feast  of  Purim,  w^e  have  a  standing 
proof  of  the  authenticity  of  this  book.  The 
later  Jews,  who  have  always  guarded  against 
the  introduction  of  spurious  or  apocryphal  books, 
and  exerted  greater  jealousy  over  the  purity  of 
their  inspired  canon  than  Christians,  not  only 
acknowledge  Esther  as  canonical,  but  have  held 
it  in  great  veneration,  assigning  it  a  place  next 
to  the  Pentateuch.  In  their  public  service,  be- 
sides the  five  books  of  Moses,  they  make  use  of 
other  five,  which  they  call  Megilloth,  namely, 
the  Song  of  Solomon,  Ruth,  Lamentations,  Ec- 
clesiastes,  and  Esther.  The  Song  they  read  on 
the  Passover :  Ruth,  on  the  feast  of  weeks,  or 
Pentecost ;  Lamentations,  on  the  fast  in  comme- 
moration of  the  destruction  of  the  temple  by  the 
Chaldeans  ;  Ecclesiastes,  on  the  feast  of  Taber- 
nacles, and  Esther  on  the  feast  of  Purim.  And 
as  they  give  to  these  five  books  the  name  of 


APOCRYPHAL     ADDITIONS.  17 

iWe^i/Zf?^/i,  or  "  volumes,"  so  they  call  Esther, 
Megillah,  or  "the  volume,"  by  way  of  emi- 
nence. The  book  of  Esther  was  also  acknow- 
ledged as  inspired  by  the  early  Christian 
church,  and  is  expressly  mentioned  in  the  cata- 
logue of  the  Council  of  Laodicea. 

In  stating  the  internal  evidence,  it  may  be 
proper  to  contrast  it  with  the  apocryphal  addi- 
tions. In  the  Romish  Bibles,  nearly  seven 
chapters  are  added,  and  the  contrast  between 
them  is  both  striking  and  instructive.  The 
book  itself  is  extant  in  Hebrew,  the  additions 
are  in  Greek.  In  the  former,  every  thing  cor- 
responds with  the  time  at  which  it  professes  to 
have  been  written ;  in  the  latter,  persons  and 
events  are  mentioned  that  did  not  exist  until  the 
Persian  empire  was  overthrown.  The  narra- 
tive of  events  in  the  former  is  simple,  natural, 
and  consistent;  the  narrative  of  the  latter  is 
confused,  and  abounds  with  repetitions,  ana- 
chronisms, and  even  contradictions.  So  that  it 
would  seem  as  if  Providence  had  permitted 
these  additions  to  be  made,  in  order  to  set  in  a 
clearer   light   the  antiquity,  genuineness,  and 


18  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

intrinsic  value  of  the  book  itself.  As  there  is 
nothing  in  it  which  is  faulty,  contrary  to  truth 
or  to  good  manners,  inconsistent  with  other 
parts  of  Scripture,  or  unworthy  of  an  inspired 
pen ;  so,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  excellently 
adapted  to  the  confirmation  of  faith  and  hope, 
the  consolation  of  the  afflicted,  the  repressing  of 
pride  and  vain-glory,  and  the  cherishing  of 
humility  and  confidence  in  Divine  Providence. 

The  objections  to  its  canonical  authority  may 
be  easily  answered.  First,  it  is  objected,  that 
"  some  of  the  early  Christian  waiters  have  not 
acknowledged  it."  I  answer,  some  of  the  early 
Christian  authors  have  acknowledged  apocry- 
phal writings  which  were  never  held  sacred  by 
the  Jewish  church.  The  reason  why  some  of 
the  fathers  did  not  acknowledge  it,  was  because 
the  Jews,  in  order  to  reduce  the  number  of  their 
books  to  the  number  of  letters  in  the  Hebrew 
alphabet,  joined  two  books  together  ;  for  exam.- 
ple,  Ruth  to  the  books  of  Samuel,  and  Lamen- 
tations to  the  Prophecies  of  Jeremiah,  and  the 
Book  of  Esther  was  one  of  these. 

It  is  objected,  secondly,  that  "the  name  of 


OBJECTIONS     ANSWERED.  19 

God  is  not  to  be  found  in  this  book."'  Tiie 
occurrence  or  formal  mention  of  the  name  of 
God  in  a  book  will  not  prove  it  to  be  divine, 
and  the  omission  or  absence  of  that  name  will 
not  prove  it  to  be  uncanonical  or  profane.  This 
book  is  odI}^  a  part  of  sacred  Scripture,  and 
borrows  light  from  others.  The  Spirit,  who 
searcheth  all  things,  is  the  best  judge  when 
and  where,  and  how  often,  to  mention  "the 
dreadful  name  of  the  Lord  our  God.  And 
what  though  the  name  of  God  is  suppressed, 
provided  his  works,  and  wonders,  and  benefits 
are  announced  and  celebrated?  "Though  the 
name  of  God  be  not  in  it,  his  finger  is,"  says  a 
pious  commentator.*  The  hearts  of  the  two 
disciples  "burned  within  them"  while  Christ 
was  talking  with  them,  though  they  knew  not 
that  he  was  v^'ith  them.  The  heart  of  the  intel- 
ligent reader  of  this  book  may  be  made  to  burn 

*  Matthew  Henry.  The  above  is  the  ordinary  phrase 
which  the  author  employed  when  quoting  the  language 
of  this  commentator,  to  whose  well-known  Exposition 
he  manifested,  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  a  decided  and 
increasing  attachment, 


20  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

with  admiration  and  gratitude  at  the  displays  of 
the  Divine  wisdom,  and  power,  and  goodness 
which  it  exhibits,  though  the  Divine  name 
strike  not  his  eye.  And  what  if  this  suppres- 
sion was  intended  to  guard  us  against  supersti- 
tion, and  to  recall  our  attention  from  words  and 
names  to  things  and  deeds?  Had  this  book 
been  spurious,  it  is  not  likely  that  it  would 
have  wanted  the  sacred  name.  It  is  worthy  of 
remark,  that,  in  the  chapter  which  commences 
the  Romish  additions,  the  name  of  the  Supreme 
Being  is  mentioned  in  the  very  first  verse  : — 
"  Then  Mardocheus  said,  God  hath  done  these 
things  ;  for  I  remember  a  dream,"  &lc.  And 
the  same  name  occurs  no  less  than  eight  times 
in  the  course  of  five  verses. 

A  third  objection  is,  that  "this  book  is  not 
quoted  or  referred  to  in  the  New  Testament," 
All  the  undoubted  books  of  Old  Testament 
Scripture  are  not  quoted  or  named  by  our  Lord 
and  his  Apostles,  and  there  are  books  quoted  in 
the  New  Testament  which  are  not  divine.  But 
there  are  probable  references   to   it  ;*    and  in 

*  Compare  Esther,  ii.  6,  with  Matt.  i.  11. 


THE    AGE    OF    THE    BOOK.  21 

Hebrews,  ix.  34,  Paul  seems  to  refer  to  the 
deliverance  wrought  in  the  days  of  Esther, 
when  he  speaks  of  those  who  "by  faith  escaped 
the  edge  of  the  sword." 

Lastly,  it  is  objected,  that  "there  is  no  refe- 
rence to  Christ  in  it."'  But  this  objection 
would  apply  also  to  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes 
and  Judges.  Augustine  has  said,  "  Whatever 
is  contained  in  the  prophets  was  written  either 
of  Christ  or  on  account  of  Christ."  This  book 
contains  an  account  of  the  conservation,  and 
fills  up  a  gap  in  the  history  of  that  people,  "  of 
whom,  as  concerning  the  flesh,  Christ  came 
who  is  over  all,  God  blessed  for  ever." 

In  entering  on  the  exposition  of  the  book,  the 
first  thing  which  invites  inquiry  is  the  age  or 
period  in  which  the  events  here  recorded  took 
place.  '•  uSoio  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of 
Ahasuerus  [this  is  Aho^suerus  which  reigned 
froiri  India  even  unto  Ethiopia,  over  an  hun- 
dred and  seven  and  twenty  provinces),  that  in 
those  days  when  the  King  Ahasuerus  sat  on  the 
throne  of  his  kingdom,  which  was  in  Shushan 
the  palace,  in  the  third  year  of  his  reign,  he 
2 


22  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

made  a  feast,  &c.  That  this  prince  was  one 
of  the  kings  of  Persia  is  evident,  for  his  palace 
Avas  in  Shushan,  or  Susa,  and  the  whole  narra- 
tive refers  to  the  manners  of  that  people.  But 
interpreters  are  divided  as  to  the  particular 
monarch  that  is  meant.  The  most  probable 
opinion  is  that  it  was  Artaxerxes  Longimanus, 
the  son  of  Xerxes.  Notwithstanding  the  disas- 
ters of  his  father,  his  kingdom  was  not  greatly- 
diminished.  The  favour  "he  showed  to  the 
Jews  under  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  is  more  easily 
accounted  for  on  the  supposition  of  his  having 
married  a  Jewess.* 

Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  extent  of 
his  kingdom  from  verse  second,  in  which  his 
subjects  are  numbered,  not  by  souls,  but  by  pro- 
vinces. "  He  reigned  from  India  even  unto 
Ethiopia,  over  an  hundred  and  seven  and 
twenty   provinces."      How   many  millions  of 

*  The  objection  to  this  view,  arising  from  the  appa- 
rent anachronism,  Esther  ii.  6,  may  be  solved,  by  suppo- 
sing that  the  person  who  was  carried  into  Babylon  with 
Jeconiah,  was  not  Mordecai,  but  his  great  grandfather, 
Kish  the  Benjamite,  v.  5. 


T  H  E     U  O  Y  A  L     F  £  A  S  T  .  Zo 

souls  must  have  been  under  the  dominion  of 
this  single  man !  Such  a  sovereign  has  it  in 
his  power  to  do  much  harm,  but  he  can  do 
little  good;  for  how  is  it  possible  for  one  man 
to  take  cognizance  of  the  affairs  of  such  an 
immense  territory?  An  overgrovm  empire, 
like  that  of  Britain,  which  boasts  that  the  sun 
never  sets  on  her  dominions,  carries  within  it 
the  seeds  of  its  own  dissolution,  and  ultimately 
sinks  by  its  own  weight. 

We  are  next  introduced  to  a  gorgeous  feast, 
wdiich  the  king  gave,  first  to  his  princes,  and 
then  to  all  his  subjects  in  Shushan.  The 
splendour  of  the  entertainment  corresponded 
with  the  dignity  of  the  monarch  and  the  wealth 
of  his  dominions,  of  which  it  was  intended  to 
be  an  image  and  demonstration,  "  Whe7i  he 
showed  the  riches  of  his  glorious  kingdom,  and 
the  honour  of  his  excellent  majesty^  The 
scene,  which  was  "  in  the  court  of  the  garden 
of  the  king' s  j}alace,'' — the  quality  and  number 
of  the  guests,  "  the  power  of  Persia  and  Media, 
the  nobles  and  princes  of  the  provinces,"  and 
^'  all  the  people  that  were  present  in  Shushan 


~4  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

the  palace,  both  great  and  small," — the  period 
of  the  entertamment,  which  extended  to  six 
months  and  seven  days, — the  gorgeous  and 
costly  character  of  the  decorations,  the  variega- 
ted hangings  of  the  pavilions  in  which  the  ban- 
quet was  held,  '' being  fastened  loith  cords  of 
fine  linen  aiid  purple  to  silver  rings  and  pil- 
lars of  marble,^^  and  the  couches  on  which 
they  reclined  being  "0/  gold  and  silver  upon 
a  pavevient  of  red,  and  blue,  and  white,  and, 
black  -marble  ;"  while  the  guests,  each  of  them, 
raised  for  the  time  to  a  state  of  regal  dignity, 
*'  drank  royal  wine  in  vessels  of  gold,  accord- 
ing to  the  state  of  the  king,  the  vessels  being 
diverse  one  from  another,"  that  is,  never  used 
above  once,  but  replaced  by  new  ones  as  they 
were  emptied, — altogether  presents  an  exhibi- 
tion of  worldly  magnificence  to  which  modern 
times  can  hardly  afford  a  parallel. 

Yet,  amidst  all  this  pageantry  and  ostenta- 
tion, so  well  fitted  to  gratify  his  vanity,  do  we 
suppose  that  the  heart  of  the  monarch  was 
happy?  No,  my  brethren;  our  Lord  has  told 
us  that  "a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the  abun- 
dance of  the  things  that  he  possesseth."     Only 


THE     ROYAL     BANCiUET.  25 

conceive  what  a  weariness  it  must  have  been  to 
the  king  to  have  kept  this  feast  for  so  many- 
days  !  What  sacrifices  of  comfort  does  the 
world  exact  from  its  votaries  !  And  how  much 
real  wretchedness  and  desolation  of  heart  may 
be  found  lurking  in  the  bosoms  of  those  "  who 
are  gorgeously  apparelled,  and  live  delicately 
in  king's  courts!'^  "Better,"  says  the  wise 
nian,  "  a  dinner  of  herbs  where  love  is,  than  a 
stalled  ox  and  hatred  therewith." 

And  where  now  is  Ahasuerus,  with  all  "  the 
riches  of  his  glorious  kingdom,  and  the  honour 
of  his  excellent  majesty  /*"  They  have  passed 
away,  and  nothing  is  left  of  them  but  the  record 
before  us,  which  is  given  only  to  introduce  the 
history  of  the  deliverance  wrought  for  Israel 
with  which  it  was  connected.  "  The  fashion 
of  this  world,"  like  an  empty  pageant,  "passeth 
away."  "  All  flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  the 
glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  grass.  The  grass 
withereth,  and  the  flower  thereof  falleth  away. 
But  the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  for  ever." 

Two  circumstances,  however,  characterized 
this  entertainment,  which  deserve  commenda- 

9* 


25  L  E  C  T  tl  R  E  S    ON     ESTHER. 

tion — the  absence  of  all  compulsion  in  drink^ 
ing,  for  the  drinking  ivas  according  to  law, 
none  did  compel — and  the  delicacy  displayed 
by  Vashti  the  queen,  who,  instead  of  joining  in 
the  general  debauch,  "  7nade  a  feast  for  the 
woman  apart  in  the  royal  house  which  belonged 
to  King  AhasuerasJ^  The  public  respect  thus 
paid  by  heathens,  and  these  too  in  the  highest 
station,  to  the  rules  of  temperance  and  modesty, 
is  a  reproach  to  many  in  a  Christian  land,  who 
while  they  make  beasts  of  themselves  with 
intoxication,  compel  others  to  follow  their  ex- 
ample ; — a  barbarous  custom,  which  modern 
politeness  has  almost  discarded  from  good  soci- 
ety, though,  w^e  fear,  it  still  prevails  to  no 
inconsiderable  extent,  and,  under  the  much 
abused  name  of  hospitalit}'-,  is  ruining  the  mo- 
rals and  shortening  the  lives  of  thousands, 
"Wo  unto  him  that  giveth  his  neighbour  drink, 
that  putteth  thy  bottle  to  him,  and  makest  him 
drunken."  "  Let  your  moderation  be  known 
to  all  men :  the  Lord  is  at  hand."  "  Take 
heed  lest  your  hearts  be  overcharged  with  sur- 
feiting and  drunkenness,  and  that  day  come 
upon  you  unawares." 


27 


LECTURE    SECOND, 


ESTHIR  I.  10—22. 

On  the  seventh  day,  icJicn  the  heart  of  the  king  icas  merry 
with  icine,  he  commanded  Mehuman,  Biztha,  Harbona, 
Bigtha,  and  Abagtha,  Zethar,  and  Carcas,  tJie  seven 
chamberlains  that  screed  in  the  presence  of  Ahasuerus 
the  king,  to  bring  Vashti  the  queen  before  the  king  with 
the  crown  royal,  to  shoic  the  people  and  the  princes  her 
beauty :  for  she  was  fair  to  look  on.  But  the  queen 
Vashti  refused  to  come  at  the  king's  commandment  by 
his  chamberlains :  tlierefore  was  the  king  very  wroth, 
and  his  anger  burned  in  him.  TJien  the  king  siM  to 
(lie  wise  men,  which  kneic  the  times  (for  so  icas  the 
king's  manner  toward  all  that  kneio  law  and  judgment : 
and  the  next  unto  him  icas  Carshena,  Shcthar,  Admatha, 
Tarshish,  Meres,  Marsena,  and  Memucnn,  the  seven 
princes  of  Persia  and  Media,  which  saw  the  king's  face, 
and  ichich  sat  the  first  in  the  kingdom ;)  What  shall  we 
do  unto  the  queen  Vashti  according  to  law,  bpcause  she 
hath  not  performed  the  commandment  of  the  King  Aha- 
suerus by  the  chamberlains  7  And  Mcmucan  ansicered 
before  the  king  and  the  princes,  Vashti  tite  queen  hath 
not  done  icrong  to   the  king  only,  but  also  to  all  the 


'ib  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

princes,  and  to  all  the  people  that  are  in  all  the  provinces 
of  the  king  Ahasuerus.  For  this  deed  of  the  queen 
shall  come  abroad  unto  all  women,  so  that  they  shall  (de- 
spise their  husbands  in  their  eyes,  tcJicn  it  shall  be  reported, 
The  king  Ahasuerus  commanded  Vashti  the  queen  to  he 
brought  in  before  him,  but  she  came  not.  Likewise  shall 
the  ladies  of  Persia  and  Media  say  this  day  unto  all  the 
king^s  princes,  which  Imvc  heard  of  the  deed  of  the  queen. 
Thus  shall  there  arise  too  much  contempt  and  wrath. 
Jf  it  please  the  king,  let  there  go  a  royal  commandment 
from  him,  and  let  it  be  written  among  the  latcs  of  the 
Persians  and  the  Medes,  that  it  be  not  altered,  That 
Vashti  come  no  more  before  King  Ahasuerus ;  and  let 
the  king  give  her  royal  estate  unto  another  that  is  better 
than  she.  And  when  the  king's  decree  which  he  shall 
make  shall  be  published  throughout  all  his  empire  (for  it 
is  great,)  all  the  tcivcs  sJuill  give  to  their  husbands  hon- 
our,  both  to  great  and  small.  And  the  saying  pleased 
the  king  and  the  princes ;  and  the  king  did  according  to 
the  word  of  Memucan  :  For  he  sent  letters  into  all  the 
king^s  provinces,  into  every  province  according  to  the 
icriiing  thereof,  and  to  every  people  after  tJteir  language, 
that  every  man  should  bear  rule  in  his  own  house,  and 
that  it  should  be  published  according  to  the  language  of 
every  people. 

After  making  some  preliminary  observa- 
tions on  the  writer  and  canonical  authority  of 


G  R  E  A  T     F  E  A  S  T  «  .  29 

this  book,  we,  in  our  last  Lecture,  entered  on 
the  exposition  of  it.  The  book  opens  with  an 
account  of  a  splendid  feast,  corresponding  to 
the  magnificence  and  riches  of  a  monarch  who 
swayed  the  sceptre  over  an  hundred  and  twenty 
provinces,  each  of  which  was  itself  a  kingdom. 
Ahasuerus  feasted  all  the  princes  and  nobles 
of  his  empire  for  an  hundred  and  eighty  days, 
or  six  months,  after  which  he  entertained  the 
inhabitants  of  his  capital,  great  and  small,  for 
seven  days.  The  wine  was  served  up  in  ves- 
sels of  gold,  none  of  which  were  used  a  second 
time ;  and  though  there  was  no  compulsion, 
every  one  was  encouraged  to  participate  libe- 
rally. 

Those  who  possess  wealth  ought  to  expend  it 
for  the  advantage  of  others,  instead  of  hoarding 
it  up,  or  wasting  it  on  their  own  pleasures ;  for 
no  man  liveth  to  himself.  Every  one  is  to  live, 
and  to  entertain  his  friends,  according  to  his 
rank  and  circumstances ;  but  those  who  are  of 
a  liberal  spirit  are  in  danger  of  indulging  in 
extravagance,  to  gratify  their  vanity  and  passion 
for  show.     Ahasuerus,  on  the  present  occasion, 


30  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

"  showed  the  riches  of  his  glorious  kingdom, 
and  the  honour  of  his  excellent  majesty."  "  The 
pride  of  life"  is  not  of  God,  but  of  the  world,  as 
well  as  "the  lust  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  eye." 

There  is  little  enjoyment  at  great  feasts; 
the  confusion  and  noise  with  which  they  are 
accompanied,  drown  rational  conversation  and 
entertainment ;  and  even  the  excitement  w^hich 
they  produce  is  usually  succeeded  by  painful 
depression  ;  for  "  even  in  laughter  the  heart  is 
sorrowful,  and  the  end  of  mirth  is  heaviness." 
It  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  a  feast  at 
which  such  an  immense  company  was  brought 
together,  and  which  was  prolonged  to  such  a 
period,  could  end  vAdthout  some  saddening  occur- 
rence. It  was  not  broken  up  by  a  whirlwind, 
like  that  of  Job's  children,  nor  by  a  frightful 
handvrriting  on  the  wall  of  the  festive  room, 
like  that  of  Belshazzar:  but  it  ended  with  dis- 
grace to  the  royal  family,  and  the  guests  were 
dismissed  with  something  else  to  talk  of  than 
the  magnificence  of  the  entertainer,  and  "  the 
honour  of  his  excellent  majesty.'''' 

This  vv^as  no  riotous  bacchanalian  meetincf. 


THE    KING    MERRY    WITH    W  I  X  E .   3 1 

We  read  of  no  instance  of  beastly  intoxication, 
no  scene  of  drunken  tumult,  or  of  profane  and 
impious  merriment.  Care  was  even  taken  to 
withhold  the  usual  provocatives  to  such  ex- 
cesses. But  though  it  was  the  king's  order  that 
none  should  compel,  example  is  sometimes  as 
powerful  as  compulsion,  and  especially  the  ex- 
ample of  a  host,  and  that  host  a  prince.  The 
entertainer  is  sometimes  tempted  to  go  beyond 
the  bounds  of  moderation  in  order  to  testify  his 
hospitality :  a  practice  not  less  foolish  than  sin- 
ful— for  if  the  guests  follow  not  his  example, 
he  exposes  himself  to  their  ridicule  ;  and  if  they 
do  follow  it,  he  is  incapable  of  keeping  them  in 
order.  When  the  head  is  giddy,  the  whole 
system  is  disorganized.  This  was  the  snare  by 
which  Ahasuerus  was  caught.  On  the  last  day 
of  the  feast,  wishing  to  make  his  princes  and 
people  happy,  he  drank  too  freely,  and  lost  his 
usual  self-command.  It  is  not  said  that  he  was 
drunk,  but  "  the  heart  of  the  king  was  merry 
with  wine."  There  is  a  difference  between  not 
being  intoxicated,  and  being  sober.  A  person 
may  be  able  to  speak  and  to  walk,  and  yet  may 


32  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

be  guilty  of  excess  in  the  use  of  strong  drink. 
He  moLj  not  have  lost  the  use  of  his  senses,  and 
yet  have  lost  the  sound  use  of  his  senses.  He 
may  lose  his  guard,  and  expose  himself  defence- 
less to  the  attack  of  temptation.  Reason  is  the 
glory  of  a  man,  and  whatever  tarnishes  or  dims 
the  lustre  of  this  crown,  is  criminal.  Next  to 
reason,  speech  is  man's  glory,  and  every  thing 
which  causes  it  to  falter  is  sinful.  Whatever 
makes  a  man  slow  to  hear,  swift  to  speak,  swift 
to  wrath — whatever  makes  him  rash  in  counsel, 
and  precipitate  in  action — whatever  makes  him 
say  or  do  what  is  unbecoming  his  character, 
and  what  he  w^ould  be  ashamed  of  at  another 
time — Cometh  of  evil,  and  may  be  the  source 
of  great  vexation  to  himself  and  injury  to  others. 
It  is  the  duty  of  masters  and  heads  of  families, 
as  well  as  of  magistrates,  to  check  this  tendency 
to  intemperance,  which  has  proved  ruinous  to 
the  bodies  and  souls  of  men,  to  families  and 
communities.  And  such  indulgence  is  especial- 
ly criminal  in  those  who  are  in  public  station 
and  authority.  "  It  is  not  for  kings,  O  Lemuel, 
it  is  not  for  kings  to  drink  wine,  nor  for  prince* 


THE     king's    VANITY.  33 

strong  drink;  lest  they  drink  and  forget  the 
law,  and  pervert  the  judgment  of  any  of  the 
afflicted.  Give  strong  drink  unto  him  that  is 
ready  to  perish,  and  wine  unto  those  that  be  of 
heavy  heart."  "  Wo  to  thee,  O  land,  when  thy 
king  is  a  child,"  (every  drunkard  is  weak  as  a 
child,)  "and  thy  princes  eat  in  the  morning! 
Blessed  art  thou,  O  land,  when  thy  king  is  the 
son  of  nobles,  and  thy  princes  eat  in  due  season, 
for  strength,  and  not  for  drunkenness  !" 

Flushed  with  wine,  Ahasuerus  suddenly 
formed  the  resolution  of  calling  on  Vashti  the 
queen,  to  dazzle  his  guests  with  her  beauty  and 
splendour ;  and  no  sooner  did  the  thought  strike 
him,  than  he  gave  orders  to  his  seven  chamber- 
lains to  introduce  her,  arrayed  with  the  royal 
crown.  Whatever  be  the  ruling  passion  of  a 
man,  whether  it  be  pride,  vanity,  or  anger,  or 
lust,  or  impiety,  or  even  benevolence,  it  will 
display  itself  when  he  is  inflamed  by  strong 
drink.  Vanity  was  the  ruling  passion  in  the 
breast  of  the  Persian  monarch.  He  had  feasted 
his  nobles  for  weeks  to  "show  the  riches  of  his 
glorious  kingdom ;"  and  now  he  would  bring 
3 


34  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

in  the  queen,  to  "  show  the  people  and  the 
princes  her  beauty.^^  He  was  vain  of  Vashti ; 
and  having  displayed  "the  honour  of  his  royal 
majesty,"  he  would  now  exhibit  the  beauty  of 
her  royal  majesty.  We  are  hurt  by  the  ebul- 
lition of  pride — but  ready  to  laugh  at  the  dis- 
play of  vanity.  It  is  true  that  it  makes  its 
subject  ridiculous,  but  it  is  a  vice  as  well  as  a 
weakness,  and  is  often  productive  of  great  mis- 
chief. The  female  sex  is  commonly  supposed 
to  be  most  addicted  to  vanity ;  but  men  are  not 
free  from  it,  and,  if  they  have  nothing  to  be  vain 
of  themselves,  are  sometimes  fain  to  shine  in 
borrowed  feathers. 

The  resolution  of  Ahasuerus  was  worse  than 
foolish.  It  disturbed  the  order  of  the  enter- 
tainment, as  established  by  himself,  and  which 
was  no  doubt  consonant  to  the  manner  of  the 
Persians,  for  w^hile  the  king  feasted  his  lords, 
"  Vashti  the  queen  also  made  a  feast  for  the  wo- 
men in  the  royal  house."  In  the  East,  the  wo- 
men keep  their  feasts  at  the  same  time  with, 
but  apart  from  the  men.  How  unbecoming 
was  it  to  lead  in  an  illustrious  female  as  a 


THE     PRIDE    OF    VASHTI,  35 

pageant,  to  expose  her  beauty  to  the  impudent 
gaze  of  half-inebriated  nobles,  or  of  a  rude  pop- 
ulace !  How  degrading  to  the  queen  !  how 
dishonourable  to  her  royal  husband !  He  was 
given  to  be  a  "covering  to  her  eyes,"  and  was 
bound  to  protect  her  modesty,  instead  of  putting 
it  to  the  blush.  Whatever  is  dishonourable  to 
the  wife,  reflects  dishonour  on  the  husband; 
but  leaving  this  out  of  the  account,  the  conduct 
of  Ahasuerus  was  imprudent  in  the  extreme. 
If  Vashti  complied  with  his  call,  the  praises 
bestowed  on  her  would  have  the  tendency  of 
flattering  her  vanity;  and  if  she  disobeyed,  he 
could  not  fail  to  be  disgraced  before  all  the 
power  of  Media  and  Persia.  And  thus  it  turn- 
ed out;  for  ''the  Queen  Vashti  refused  to  come 
at  the  Jdng' s  commandmentP 

Bad  as  the  conduct  of  the  king  v,-as  in  is- 
suing the  order,  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
queen  was  right  in  disobeying  it.  If  the  ac- 
tion had  been  in  itself  positively  immoral,  then 
it  would  have  been  her  duty  to  have  resisted, 
whatever  the  consequences  might  be.  No 
authority  can  bind,  and  no  danger  should  con- 


36  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

Strain,  a  Avoman  to  do  any  thing-  which  is 
vicious,  or  essentially  immodest.  Had  Vashti 
of  her  own  accord  gone  into  the  company,  had 
she  sought  the  opportunity,  or  embraced  it  joy- 
full}^  she  would  have  been  convicted  of  im- 
modesty ;  but  had  she  complied  merely  out 
of  respect  to  authority,  and  to  prevent  her  hus- 
band from  being  dishonoured  by  her  refusal, 
in  the  presence  of  his  subjects,  her  conduct 
would  have  appeared  in  a  very  different  light 
in  the  eyes  of  all  reasonable  persons.  She  was 
a  subject,  as  well  as  a  wife ;  and  if  her  royal 
husband  had,  when  heated  with  wine,  issued 
an  order  which  reflected  on  her  honour,  she, 
being  perfectly  sober,  might  have  consulted 
his. 

But  Vashti  was  as  proud  as  Ahasuerus  was 
vain,  and  determined  that  if  he  was  imperious, 
she  would  be  haughty  and  unyielding.  She 
was  piqued  that  such  a  message  should  be  sent 
to  her  in  the  presence  of  her  maids  of  honour 
and  the  great  ladies  of  Persia,  and  resolved  to 
show  her  spirit  by  setting  at  nought  the  requ'est 
of  the  king  her  husband.     Instead  of  making  a 


VASHTIDEPOSED.  37 

modest  excuse,  or  sending  "a  soft  answer  which 
turneth  away  wrath,"  she  ^ave  a  fiat  and  pe- 
remptory refusal. 

It  is  easy  to  conceive  the  feelings  that  wo^ld 
be  excited,  when  the  chamberlains,  unaccom- 
panied by  Vashti,  entered  the  royal  apartment, 
and  with  a  hesitating  voice  delivered  their  un- 
grateful message.  "  The  king  was  very  wroth, 
and  his  anger  burned  in  him^  He  felt  him- 
self affronted  before  his  princes,  and  the  con- 
sciousness that  he  had  brought  this  upon  him- 
self by  his  own  imprudence,  served  to  irritate 
him  the  more. 

It  is  surprising  that  more  violent  measures 
were  not  adopted,  and  one  would  be  apt  to  con- 
clude that  the  chagrin  occasioned  by  the  unex- 
pected refusal  of  Vashti  had  dissipated  the 
fumes  of  the  wine,  and  sobered  the  king  and 
his  guests.  The  truth  seems  to  be,  that  the 
kings  of  Persia,  though  arbitrary,  were  not 
entirely  absolute ;  and  that  females,  though 
subjected  to  great  restraints,  were  not  then 
regarded  as  slaves,  or  exposed  to  the  treatment 
which  they  receive  in  Eastern  countries  at 
3* 


38  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

present.  Her  disobedience  cost  Vashti  her 
crown,  but  not  her  life ;  and  the  proceedings 
against  her  were  characterized,  if  not  by  jus- 
tice, at  least  by  deliberation  and  a  regard  to 
legal  forms.  "  Then  the  king  said  to  the  wise 
men  which  knew  the  times,  [for  so  was  the 
king's  manner  toward  all  that  knew  laio  and 
judgment^  what  shall  we  do  unto  the  Queen 
Vashti  according  to  law,  because  she  hath  not 
'performed  the  commandment  of  the  King  Aha- 
suerus  hy  his  chamberlains  ?" 

Here  let  us  remark,  first,  the  great  advantage 
of  laws.  Law  is  mind  without  passion ;  and  it 
is  better  to  have  a  code  of  laws,  however  bad, 
than  to  have  none  but  the  will  of  a  man.  Had 
the  king,  on  this  occasion,  acted  according  to 
his  passion,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  the 
scene  might  have  terminated  more  tragically ; 
but  he  acted  ^'according  to  law.^^  Secondly, 
we  see  the  great  advantage  of  counsel.  "  In 
the  multitude  of  counsellors  there  is  safety," 
says  the  wise  man.  This  is  more  especially 
the  case  with  those  who  have  the  lives,  the 
property,  and  even  the  religion  of  others,  to 


THE  COUNSEL  OF  MEMUCAN.   39 

consider  and  determine  upon.  What  an  advan- 
tage is  it  to  have  for  counsellors,  good  men, 
who  hate  covetousness,  who  have  the  welfare  of 
their  country  at  heart,  and  especially  those  who 
act  under  the  fear  of  God  !  By  following  the 
counsel  of  his  wise  men,  Ahasuerus  was  pre- 
served from  the  crime  of  putting  his  queen  to 
death — a  circumstance  which  I  notice  in  order 
to  remark,  that,  by  her  removal  from  the 
throne,  and  the  introduction  of  another,  through 
which  a  great  deliverance  was  brought  about, 
not  a  drop  of  blood  was  spilt. 

At  the  request  of  the  king,  Memucan  deliv- 
ered his  sentiments,  aggravating  the  misbeha- 
viour of  Vashti,  as  injurious  not  only  to  the 
king,  but  to  all  the  princes  and  people  in  his 
dominions,  inasmuch  as  it  set  an  example  to 
wives  to  despise  and  disobey  their  husbands ; 
and  concluded  w^ith  a  proposal  that  she  should 
be  repudiated,  and  deprived  of  the  crown-royal, 
and  that  the  king  should  choose  another  in  her 
place.  This  motion  was  unanimously  agreed 
to,  turned  into  an  unalterable  law,  and  promul- 
gated through  the  whole  extent  of  the  empire 


40  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

(verses  21st  and  2:2.)  To  this  counsel  we  are 
not  bound  to  pay  any  deference;  for  the  autho- 
rity of  husbands  and  the  duties  of  wives,  we 
have  reason  to  be  thankful,  are  not  to  be  learned 
either  from  the  manners  or  the  laws  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians,  but  from  the  instructions 
of  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles,  which  will  be 
found  strictly  conformable  to  the  law  of  nature, 
and  equally  conducive  to  the  happiness  and 
honour  of  both  sexes.  You  may  read  them  at 
your  leisure  in  Matt.  xix.  3 — 9,  Eph.  v.  22, 
and  1  Peter  iii.  1 — 8. 

We  are  told,  in  the  beginning  of  next  chap- 
ter, that  "  when  the  w^ath  of  King  Ahasuerus 
was  appeased,  he  remembered  Vashti."  There 
are  many  things  which  a  man  does  under  the 
influence  of  intoxication,  which  is  a  temporary 
madness,  that  he  would  fain  have  undone  in  his 
sober  moments.  The  king  regretted  what  he 
had  done,  but  there  were  bars  in  the  way 
which  he  could  not  get  over.  The  laws  of 
the  Medes  and  Persians  were  irrevocable.  And 
besides,  had  she  been  recalled,  the  counsellors 
who  had  advised  the  king  to  depose  her  must 
have  been  dismissed. 


THE    WISDOM    OF    PROVIDENCE.    41 

The  whole  passage  affords  us  displays  of 
human  character,  the  contemplation  of  which 
is  highly  useful ;  but  the  chief  thing  which  it 
was  intended  to  exhibit  to  us,  is  the  wonderful 
working  of  God  for  the  accomplishment  of  his 
purposes,  especially  in  relation  to  his  church 
and  people.  The  divorce  of  Vashti  was  in- 
tended to  prepare  the  way  for  the  exaltation  of 
Esther,  and  she  was  raised  to  the  kingdom 
that,  by  her  influence  with  the  king,  she  might 
prevent  a  plot  for  the  extermination  of  the 
Jewish  race,  "  whose  were  the  fathers,  and  of 
whom,  as  concerning  the  flesh,  Christ  came." 
And  how  wonderfully  was  this  brought  about ! 
None  of  the  agents  dreamt  of  such  a  thing. 
'\N'one  of  the  Jews  were  instrumental  in  effect- 
ing it.  It  was  brought  about  by  means  of  hea- 
thens. Had  Esther  been  previously  introduced 
to  the  king,  it  would  have  appeared  as  if  she 
had  seduced  the  affections  of  the  monarch  from 
his  legitimate  spouse.  If  Mordecai  had  been 
one  of  the  seven  counsellors,  or  even  chamber- 
lains, it  would  have  been  supposed  that  he  had 
plotted  the  ruin  of  Vashti  to  raise  his  cousin  to 


42  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

the  king's  bed.  You  know  what  disgrace  was 
inflicted  on  the  Reformation  of  religion  in 
England,  by  the  divorces  and  marriages  of  the 
king,  Avho  first  threw  oif  the  authority  of 
Rome ;  and  what  a  handle  has  been  made  of 
this  by  Popish  Avriters  !  But,  by  the  wise  ordi- 
nation of  Providence,  Esther  came  to  her  dig- 
nity without  a  blot,  or  the  shadow  of  suspicion 
on  her  reputation  and  character. 

Providences,  and  even  prophecies,  are  not  the 
rule  of  duty ;  and  even  though  we  were  per- 
mitted to  see  a  little  into  futurity,  this  ought  not 
to  have  any  effect  upon  us  where  duty  is  con- 
cerned. But  we  may  be  permitted  to  admire 
the  overruling  hand  of  Providence  in  ordering 
events,  proceeding  from  the  volitions  of  reason-iJl^^ 
able  agents,  in  such  a  way  as  to  prepare  for  the 
execution  of  his  gracious  designs.  Had  Aha- 
suerus  not  kept  this  feast;  had  any  thing  occur- 
red to  put  an  end  to  it  on  the  preceding  day ; 
had  the  thought  not  come  into  his  mind  when 
he  was  merry  with  wine;  had  his  favourite 
whispered  in  his  ear  the  impropriety  of  his 
intended  purpose ;    had    Ahasuerus   been  less 


THE    STUDY    OF    PROVIDENCE.     43 

vain,  or  Vashti  less  proud ;  had  the  counsellors 
been  divided  in  sentiment,  or  had  the  laws  of 
the  Medes  and  Persians  not  been  irrevocable : — 
Vashti  would  have  continued  to  occupy  the 
throne,  and  Esther  would  have  remained  in 
obscurity;  and  there  would  have  been  no  ob- 
stacle to  the  execution  of  the  wicked  plot  of 
Haman  for  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  nation. 
"  Lo,  these  are  parts  of  his  ways ;  but  how 
little  a  portion  is  heard  of  him  ?" 

Providence  is  the  work  of  God,  and  in  its 
various  movements  we  trace  his  goings,  and 
are  led  to  contemplate  the  displays  of  his  wis- 
dom, power,  holiness,  and  goodness.  But  how 
can  we  be  suitably  affected  by  them,  if  we  do 
not  by  meditation,  by  comparing  them  with  the 
Scriptures,  and  by  prayer,  endeavour  to  under- 
stand their  character  and  interpret  their  lan- 
guage? This  is  an  important  branch  of  prac- 
tical religion ;  and  to  the  neglect  of  its  due  cul- 
tivation may  be  imputed  much  of  that  darkness 
and  distress  of  mind  which  is  felt  under  afflic- 
tive dispensations.  The  possession  of  this 
knowledge  is  a  mark  of  wisdom,  and  a  means 


44  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

of  safety :  •'  Whoso  is  wise,  and  will  observe 
these  things,  even  they  shall  understand  the 
loving-kindness  of  the  Lord."  And,  accord- 
ingly, this  is  a  study  in  which  good  and 
holy  men  have,  in  all  ages,  exercised  them- 
selves, and  from  Avhich,  next  to  the  Scriptures, 
they  have  reaped  the  greatest  pleasure  and  ad- 
vantasfe. 


45 


LECTURE    THIRD 


Esther  IL  5—11 ;  15—20. 

Now  in  Shushan  the  palace  there  icas  a  certain  Jew,  whose 
name  was  Mordecai,  the  son  of  Jair,  the,  son  of  Shimei, 
tJie  son  of  Kish,  a  Benjamite;  wlio  had  been  carried 
away  from  Jerusalem  tcith  the  captivity  ichich  had  been 
carried  awayidth  Jeconiah  King  of  Judah,  ichom  Nebu- 
chadnezzar the  King  of  Babylon  had  carried  away.  And 
he  brought  up  Hadassah,  that  is,  Esther,  his  uncle's 
/laughter  :  for  she  had  neither  father  nor  mother,  and  the 
maid  was  fair  and  beautiful;  whom  Mordecai,  when 
her  fatlier  and  mother  were  dead,  took  for  his  own 
daughter.  So  it  came  to  pass  wlien  the  hinges  command- 
ment and  his  decree  was  heard,  and  when  many  maidens 
were  gathered  together  unto  Shushan  the  palace,  to  the 
custody  of  Hegai,  that  Esther  teas  brought  also  tinto  the 
kings  liouse,  to  the  custody  of  Hegai,  keeper  of  the 
women.  And  the  maiden  pleased  him,  and  she  obtained 
kindness  of  him ;  and  he  speedily  gave  her  her  things 
for  purification,  icith  such  things  as  belonged  to  lier,  and 
seven  maidens  ichich  icere  meet  to  be  given  her,  out  of  the 
kings  house  :  and  he  preferred  her  and  her  maids  unto 
the  best  place  of  the  house  of  the  women.  Esther  had 
4 


46  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

not  showed  her  people  nor  her  kindred ;  for  Mordecai 
had  charged  her  that  she  should  not  show  it.  And  Mor- 
decai walked  everyday  before  the  court  of  the  women's 
house,  to  know  how  Esther  did,  and  what  should  become 
of  her. 
Now  ichen  the  turn  of  Estlier,  the  daughter  of  Ahihail,  tlie 
uncle  of  Mordecai,  icho  had  taken  her  for  his  daughter 
teas  come  to  go  in  unto  the  king,  she  required  nothing  hut 
what  Hegai  the  hinges  chamberlain,  the  keeper  of  the 
women  appoiitted.  And  Esther  obtained  favour  in  the 
sight  of  all  them  that  looked  upon  her.  So  Esther  was 
taken  unto  King  Ahasuerus  into  his  house  royul  in  the 
tenth  month,  ichich  is  the  month  Tebeth,  in  the  seventh 
year  of  his  reign.  And  the  king  loved  Esther  above  alt 
the  women,  and  she  obtained  grace  and  favour  in  his 
sight  more  than  all  the  virgins;  so  that  he  set  the  royal 
crown  upon  her  head,  and  made  her  queen  instead  of 
Vashti.  Then  the  king  made  a  great  feast  unto  all  his 
princes  and  his  servants,  even  Esthej's  feast ;  and  he 
made  a  release  to  the  provinces,  and  gave  gifts,  according 
to  the  state  of  the  king.  And  when  the  virgins  were 
gathered  together  the  second  time,  then  Mordecai  sat  in 
the  king^s  gate.  Esther  had  not  yet  showed  her  kindred 
nor  her  people,  as  Mordecai  had  charged  her:  for 
Esther  did  the  commandment  of  Mordecai,  like  as  when 
she  was  brougM  up  with  him. 

In  our  last  Lecture  we  considered  the  train  of 
circumstances  which  led  to  the  divorce  and  re-- 


THE    ELEVATION    OF    ESTHER.       17 

moval  of  Vashti  from  the  royal  estate  of  Q,ueen 
of  Persia.  The  narrative  is  pregnant  with 
useful  reflections,  but  the  chief  thing  on  which 
we  endeavoured  to  fix  your  attention  was,  the 
overruling  hand  of  Providence  in  ordering 
events  proceeding  from  the  volitions  of  reasona- 
ble agents,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prepare  for 
the  execution  of  his  gracious  designs  in  the 
deliverance  and  exaltation  of  his  enslaved  and 
devoted  captives. 

We  are  next  introduced  to  the  individual  who 
was  chosen  to  be  the  immediate  instrument  of 
accomplishing  the  deliverance  in  view,  and 
who  was  unexpectedly  raised  to  the  place  of 
the  disgraced  and  repudiated  queen.  She  was 
a  Jewess,  and  the  daughter  of  Abihail.  Her 
Hebrew  name  was  Hadassah,  but  it  was 
changed  to  Esther  upon  her  accession  to  the 
crown.  We  should  not  be  ashamed  of  the 
names  given  us  by  our  parents,  especially  pious 
parents;  but  neither  should  we  adhere  to  them 
superstitiously,  and  we  may  exchange  them  for 
others  when  it  serves  any  important  purpose. 
Wives,  among  us,  take  the  names  of  their  hus- 


48  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

bands  ;  and  Hadassah  did  not  scruple  to  assume 
a  new  name,  whether  it  was  given  her  by  her 
cousin,  for  the  purpose  of  concealing  for  a  time 
her  country,  or  was  imposed  upon  her  by  her 
royal  husband. 

Esther  was  a  captive  and  orphan.  She  had 
neither  father  nor  mother.  Her  parents  died 
prematurely,  and  left  their  only  child  helpless 
and  unprovided  for  in  a  strange  and  heathen 
land.  O  what  a  pang  must  the  thought  of  this 
have  sent  to  the  hearts  of  the  dying  parents ! 
Let  us,  however,  believe  that  it  was  mitigated, 
as  it  has  often  been  in  similar  circumstances,  by 
the  consolations  of  religion,  by  the  reflection 
that  the  earth  was  the  Lord's,  and  that  his 
kingdom  ruleth  over  all,  and  by  faith  in  that 
promise  inade  with  a  special  view  to  his  out- 
casts, "  Leave  thy  fatherless  children  on  me ;  I 
will  preserve  them  alive."  In  this  case  he  was 
better  than  his  word.  When  he  passed  by  the 
child  and  saw  her  polluted  in  her  own  blood, 
"  he  said  to  her.  Live ;  j'-ea,  he  said  to  her  in 
her  blood,  Live."  But  this  was  a  small  matter  ; 
he  caused  her  to  increase  as  the  bud  of  the  field, 


THE    ELEVATION     OF    ESTHER.     49 

SO  that  when  she  grew  up  *'  her  time  was  the 
time  of  love ;"  she  became  exceedingly  beautiful, 
and  prospered  into  a  kingdom,  and  her  renown 
went  forth  among  the  heathen  for  her  beauty, 
for  it  was  perfect  through  his  comeliness  which 
he  had  put  upon  her.  Esther  had  reason  to 
sing  to  him,  whose  name  is  Jah,  "  A  father  to 
the  fatherless  is  God  in  his  holy  habitation. 
God  setteth  the  solitary  in  families;  he  bring- 
eth  out  those  that  are  bound  with  chains." 
"  He  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his  hand- 
maiden. He  that  is  mighty  hath  done  for  me 
great  things,  and  holy  is  his  name.  He  hath 
put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats,  and  ex- 
alted them  of  low  degree." 

But  let  us  proceed  more  leisurely  in  tracing 
the  footsteps  of  divine  care  and  goodness  to  this 
female  orphan.  First,  God  provided  one  who 
should  act  the  part  of  a  parent  to  her  during 
her  tender  years,  and  of  a  wise  counsellor  after 
she  arrived  at  maturity.  This  was  her  cousin 
MoRDECAi,  who  was  destined  to  act  a  conspi- 
cuous part  in  the  events  recorded  in  this  book. 
On  this  account,  as  well  as  his  relation  to 
4* 


50  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

Esther,  his  genealogy  is  given.  He  was  ^^the 
son  of  Jair,  the  son  of  Shimei,  the  son  of  Kish, 
a  Benjamite,  who  had  been  carried  away  with 
the  captivity,  which  had  been  carried  away  with 
Jeconiah,  King  of  Judah,  whom  Nebuchad- 
nezzar had  carried  aioayP  We  formerly 
adverted  to  a  chronological  difficulty  arising 
from  this  passage.  There  is  no  period  of  time 
to  which  the  transactions  of  this  book  can  be 
referred  with  greater  probability  than  the  reign 
of  Artaxerxes  Longimanus,  the  son  of  Xerxes. 
But  if  Mordecai  was  carried  captive  along  with 
Jeconiah,  it  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he 
could  be  alive  in  the  time  of  Artaxerxes,  or  that 
his  cousin  Esther  could  then  have  been  in  the 
prime  of  life.  The  difficulty,  however,  may 
be  removed  by  understanding  that  it  was  not 
Mordecai,  but  his  great-grandfather  Kish,  who 
was  carried  captive;  or,  more  generally,  the 
expression  may  mean  that  he  belonged  to  a 
family  which  was  transported  to  Babylon  at 
the  time  specified. 

Mordecai  was  one  of  those  characters  which 
bespeak  the  hand  of  a  special  Providence  in 


CHARACTER  OF  MORDECAI.   51 

their  formation.  Brought  up  in  obscurity,  he 
possessed  talents  which  fitted  him  for  swaying- 
the  sceptre  of  empire — wisdom,  public  spirit, 
decision,  courage,  disinterestedness,  self-com- 
mand. He  was  also  pious,  patriotic,  and  be- 
nevolent. On  the  death  of  his  uncle  and  aunt, 
he  took  their  orphan  child  under  his  protection, 
and  brought  her  up  as  his  own  daughter.  We 
may  see  in  this  the  kindness  of  Providence, 
which  takes  the  orphan  under  its  wing;  but 
we  should  also  learn  from  it  our  duty.  We 
should  add  to  godliness  brotherly  kindness,  and 
to  brotherly  kindness  charity.  It  is  godlike  to 
have  compassion  on  the  fatherless  and  the 
widow.  Job  could  protest,  "  If  I  have  caused 
the  widow's  eyes  to  fail,  or  the  fatherless  hath 
not  eaten  of  my  morsel  (for  from  my  youth  he 
was  brought  up  with  me  as  w^ith  a  father),  then 
let  mine  arm  fall  from  my  shoulder-blade,  and 
mine  arm  be  broken  from  the  bone."  To 
allow  an  orphan  relative,  and  particularly  a 
female,  to  be  cast  out  on  the  wide  world,  to  be- 
come a  prey  to  temptation,  or  a  burden  on  the 
public  or  the  church,  is  to  act  an  unnatural  as 


52  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

well  as  irreligious  part.  "  He  that  provideth 
not  for  his  own,"  though  they  be  not  imme- 
diately of  his  own  house,  "  hath  denied  the 
faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel.''  What  the 
apostle  says  of  widows  is  applicable  to  the 
fatherless : — "  If  any  have  children  or  nephews, 
let  them  first  learn  to  show  piety  at  home  :  let 
them  relieve  them,  and  let  not  the  church  be 
charged."  The  nearer  the  relationship,  the 
stronger  the  obligation ;  and  the  remoter  the 
kindred,  the  stronger  is  the  proof  of  piety  and 
benevolence.  Esther  was  not  the  grandchild 
of  Mordecai,  nor  was  she  his  niece;  yet  he 
took  her  "  for  his  own  daughter,"  and  he  did 
not  go  unrewarded.  It  is  matter  of  common 
remark,  that  this  is  a  thankless  task,  inasmuch 
as  the  adopted  child  often  proves  ungrateful  to 
the  benefactor,  and  a  source  of  vexation  to  him. 
Instances  of  this  are  not  rare  ;  and  when  they 
do  occur  to  a  pious  person,  they  will  teach  him 
to  look  to  heaven  for  his  reward.  But  this 
painful  issue  may  be  owing  to  the  tutor  as  well 
as  to  the  pupil.  If  the  latter  is  either  care- 
lessly left  to  servants,  or  is  treated  with  an 


PERSONAL    BEAUTY.  53 

indiscreet  fondness,  or  if  more  attention  is  paid 
to  bodily  accomplishments  than  to  mental  im- 
provement, kindness  will  turn  out  a  curse. 
But  Mordecai  brought  up  Esther  with  the 
anxious  care  and  discreet  affection  of  a  judi- 
cious and  pious  father ;  and  by  the  blessing  of 
God  upon  his  labours,  he  had  the  satisfaction  to 
see  the  qualities  of  her  mind  unfold  themselves 
and  ripen  along  with  her  bodily  charms. 

Personal  beauty,  though  the  least  of  her  ac- 
complishments, is  here  specified  for  an  evident 
reason.  "  The  maid  was  beautiful  in  form 
and  countenance^  as  it  runs  in  the  original. 
Esther,  in  addition  to  her  outward  comeliness, 
was  modest,  engaging,  contented,  and  possessed 
all  those  amiable  qualities  which  adorn  the 
individual,  while  they  make  him  useful  to  soci- 
ety. Beauty  is  one  of  the  gifts  of  nature ;  but 
if  it  consist  only  in  symmetry  of  form  and  fine- 
ness of  colouring,  it  is  no  more  than  a  beautiful 
statue ;  it  can  only  gratify  the  eye.  That 
which  reflects  as  a  mirror  the  good  qualities  of 
the  mind  can  alone  form  an  object  of  rational 
attraction.    If  destitute  of  these,  or  accompanied 


54  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

with  opposite  qualities,  beauty  creates  disgust 
instead  of  love ;  for  "  as  a  jewel  of  gold  in  a 
swine's  snout,  so  is  a  fair  woman  without  dis- 
cretion." It  has  often  proved  a  snare,  both  to 
the  possessor  and  to  others.  It  is  a-pt  to  feed 
vanity  and  pride ;  it  leads  to  idleness,  thought- 
lessness, and  extravagance,  and  in  the  end 
pierces  the  soul  with  many  sorrows.  At  best, 
it  is  but  a  flower  which,  if  it  fade  not  here, 
shall  consume  in  the  grave.  Like  riches  and 
honour,  it  is  possessed  by  the  worst  of  mankind, 
and  it  was  denied  to  the  best  of  the  children  of 
Eve,  of  whom  it  was  said,  "  He  hath  no  form 
nor  comeliness;  and  when  we  see  him,  there  is 
no  beauty,  that  we  should  desire  him."  Esther 
had  a  striking  lesson  before  her  eyes,  warning 
her  not  to  trust  in  exterior  attractions.  Vashti 
was  a  beauty,  and  her  husband  was  as  vain  as 
she  was  proud  of  her  charms;  yet  she  had 
fallen  into  disgrace.  "  Favour  is  deceitful,  and 
beauty  is  vain  ;  but  a  woman  that  feareth  the 
Lord,  she  shall  be  praised."  And  such  was 
Esther. 

There  is  a  resemblance  between  Esther  and 


ESTHER    AND     MOSES.  55 

Moses.  The  one  was  raised  up  to  emancipate 
the  Israelites  from  cruel  bondage,  the  other  to 
preserve  them  from  a  plot  which  had  for  its 
object  their  extermination.  Moses  was  taken 
out  of  the  river,  and  adopted  by  Pharaoh's 
daughter.  Esther  was  raised  to  the  bed  of 
Ahasuerus  and  the  crown-royal.  After  men- 
tioning the  barbarous  edict  for  destroying  all 
their  male  children,  Stephen  says,  "  in  which 
time  Moses  was  born,  and  was  exceeding  fair" 
— "  fair  to  God,"  as  it  is  in  the  original,  ac- 
cording to  the  Hebrew  idiom.  It  was  the 
beauty  of  the  babe,  shining  through  its  tears, 
that  excited  the  compassion  of  the  Egyptian 
princess  ;  and  it  was  Esther's  beauty  which  first 
won  the  affections  of  the  Persian  monarch. 
But  the  Apostle,  referring  to  the  faith  of  Moses, 
lets  us  farther  into  the  mystery  of  Providence : 
"By  faith  Moses  was  hid  three  months  of  his 
parents,  because  they  saw  he  was  a  proper 
child."  Mordecai  was  to  Esther  father  and 
mother ;  and  what  hinders  us  to  think  that  he 
participated  in  the  feelings  of  the  parents  of 
Moses,  and  that  when  he  first  looked  on  the 


56  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

beauty  of  the  infant  orphan,  faith  combined 
with  natural  affection  and  benevolence  in  in- 
ducing him  to  take  her  for  his  own  daughter  ? 

If  there  is  any  truth  or  probability  in  this 
supposition,  it  will  throw  a  new  and  a  pleasing 
light  on  the  conduct  of  Mordecai  in  offering  his 
daughter  as  a  candidate  for  the  royal  choice. 
It  is  true,  there  was  nothing  unbecoming  in  the 
action  according  to  the  manners  of  the  times, 
and  all  those  who  went  in  to  the  king,  were 
henceforth  considered  as  his  wives,  though  oc- 
cupying an  inferior  place  to  the  maiden  who 
was  selected  to  be  queen,  and  to  wear  the  royal 
crown.  Still  it  is  more  consistent  with  the  pure 
and  lofty  character  of  Mordecai,  and  with  the 
method  of  Providence,  when  it  employs  good 
men  in  accomplishing  its  purposes,  to  suppose 
that  he  was  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind 
that  his  adopted  daughter  was  destined  to  be 
Queen  of  Persia,  and  that  her  distinguished 
beauty  had  been  given  her  as  a  means  of  her 
advancement,  and  of  accomplishing  ulterior  de- 
signs, connected  with  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  his  chosen  people,  which  were  not  yet 


M  E  N  T .     5( 

revealed  to  him.  The  name  Esther  is  supposed 
to  mean  ''secret^'  or  "  hidden.'^ 

Accordingly,  when  the  king's  decree  was 
promulgated  for  assembling  fair  virgins  from 
different  quarters  under  the  charge  of  the  proper 
officer,  Mordecai,  after  communicating  to  Esther 
his  views  and  impressions,  and  obtaining  her 
consent,  (for  such  a  good  man  and  affectionate 
relative  would  never  have  done  violence  to  the 
feelings  of  his  orphan  ward,)  procured  her  ad- 
mission according  to  the  appointed  rules.  It  is 
one  evidence  of  the  high  principles  by  which 
he  was  actuated,  that  he  discovered  no  undue 
precipitancy  in  placing  her  in  the  house  allotted 
for  the  reception  of  the  young  women;  for  "he 
that  believeth  doth  not  make  haste."  It  is  natu- 
ral to  suppose  that  those  who  wished  their 
daughters  or  sisters  to  be  advanced  to  such  a 
high  dignity,  would  be  eager  to  get  their  names 
first  enrolled,  but  "  it  came  to  pass  that,  when 
many  maidens  were  gathered  u7ito  Shushan,  the 
palace,  to  the  custody  of  Hegai,  Esther  was 
brought  also  U7ito  the  king's  house.''^ 

O  how  incalculable  are  the  advantages  of  a 


58  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

virtuous  and  religious  education !  It  distin- 
guishes those  who  have  been  blessed  with  it,  in 
every  situation  in  which  they  may  be  placed. 
Joseph,  when  sold  as  a  slave  to  the  Egyptians, 
gained  by  his  good  conduct  the  good  graces  of 
his  master;  and  when  unrighteously  thrown 
into  prison,  he  secured  the  partial  regards  even 
of  that  rough  character  the  jailer.  In  like 
manner  did  God  bring  Daniel  "into  favour  and 
tender  love"  with  the  prime  chamberlain  of  Ba- 
bylon. Esther  carried  with  her  into  the  king's 
court  the  manners  and  the  dispositions  which 
she  had  acquired  under  the  tuition  of  Mordecai; 
and  her  modesty,  discretion,  contentment,  and 
sweet  temper,  soon  ingratiated  her  with  Hegai, 
the  keeper  of  the  women.  "  The  maiden  pleased 
him,  and  she  obtained  kindiiess  of  him  ;  and  he 
speedily  gave  her  her  things  for  purification, 
with  such  things  as  belonged  to  her,  and  seven 
maidens,  which  were  meet  to  be  given  to  her, 
out  of  the  king'' s  house  :  and  he  preferred  her 
and  her  maids  unto  the  best  place  of  the  house 
of  the  uwmenP  Her  rival  comrades,  proud  of 
their  beauty,  or  confident  of  the  patronage  which 


ADVANTAGES    OF    EDUCATION.     59 

they  possessed*  behaved  themselves  arrogantly  ; 
they  "  were  haughty,  walking  with  stretched 
forth  necks  and  wanton  eyes,  walking  and 
mincing  as  they  went."  They  were  eager  for 
precedence,  impatient  to  have  the  appointed 
ceremonies  over,  that  they  might  be  early  intro- 
duced to  the  monarch  ;  they  were  dissatisfied 
with  the  attentions  which  were  paid  them,  and 
thought  that  they  could  not  have  enough  of  ser- 
vice. Esther,  on  the  contrary,  was  pleased  with 
every  thing,  and  when  her  turn  came  to  obtain 
admission  to  the  king,  "  she  required  nothing 
but  what  Hegai,  the  kirig^s  chamber  lain,  the 
keeper  of  the  women,  appointed ;"  conduct  which 
not  only  recommended  her  to  him,  but  height- 
ening the  effect  of  her  personal  charms,  Esther 
obtained  favour  in  the  sight  of  all  them  that 
looked  upon  her^  This  was  an  earnest  and 
presage  of  her  ultimate  success,  and  the  disap- 
pointment of  her  rivals  ;  for  before  honour  goeth 
humility,  and  a  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall." 
She  soon  secured  the  affections  of  the  monarch, 
who,  in  addition  to  a  beautiful  queen,  obtained  a 
chaste,  modest,  discreet,  and  (what  he  could  not 


60  L  E  C  T  U  11  E  S     ON     ESTHER, 

estimate  at  this  time)  pious  spouse.  "  The  king 
loved  Esther  above  all  the  women,  and  she  ob- 
tained grace  and  favour  in  his  sight  more  than 
all  the  virgins  ;  so  that  he  set  the  royal  crown 
upon  her  head,  and  made  her  queen  instead  of 
Vashti.  Then  the  king  made  a  great  feast  unto 
all  his  princes  and  his  servants,  even  Esther'' s 
feast ;  and  he  made  a  release  to  the  provinces, 
and  gave  gifts  according  to  the  state  of  the 
king:'  (v.  17,  18.) 

We  have  only  farther  at  present  to  notice  the 
affectionate  solicitude  of  Mordecai,  and  the  du- 
tiful conduct  of  his  adopted  daughter.  While 
the  affair  was  in  dependence,  that  is,  for  twelve 
months,  "  Mordecai  walked  every  day  before 
the  court  of  the  womei-u  s  house,  to  hiow  how 
Esther  did,  and  what  should  become  of  herP 
Though  he  did  not  wish  his  connexion  with 
her  to  be  known,  yet  she  could  send  out  one  of 
her  maids  to  acquaint  him  with  her  health  and 
prospects.  I  may  remark  in  passing,  that  al- 
though the  manners  of  the  ancient  Persians 
imposed  a  greater  restraint  on  females  than  is 
practised  among  us,  yet  they  differed  widely 


THE    GRATITUDE     OF    ESTHER.     61 

from  those  of  Oriental  nations  at  present ;  for 
if  any  man  were  to  be  seen  frequenting  the 
purlieus  of  a  modern  seraglio,  (those  gilded 
prisons  in  which  the  victims  of  Asiatic  volup- 
tuousness are  immured,)  it  would  cost  him  his 
life.  When  the  women  were  assembled  the 
second  time  to  hear  the  royal  pleasure  intima- 
ted to  them,  ''Mordecai  sat  in  the  kiyig^s  gate" 
having,  most  probably,  sold  all  his  property  to 
purchase  a  situation  which,  though  of  an  infe- 
rior kind,  might  enable  him  to  be  near  to 
Esther.  He  formerly  walked  in  the  court  of 
the  women  as  a  stranger,  now  he  sits  as  an 
officer  at  the  gate. 

Nor  was  Esther  behind  with  her  grateful 
returns.  Too  many,  when  suddenly  exalted, 
forget  their  former  friends,  or,  what  is  as  bad, 
forget  themselves,  become  vain  and  arrogant 
and  so  impatient  of  admonition  and  good  advice. 
Children,  when  they  grow  up,  are  apt  to  think 
that  they  are  released  from  all  obligation  even 
to  their  natural  parents ;  they  become  wise  in 
their  own  conceits,  and  spurn  advice  as  if  it 
were  an  undue  assumption  of  authority.  But 
5* 


62  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

"  Esther  did  the  commandment  of  Mordecai, 
like  as  when  she  ivas  brought  up  with  him.^^ 
The  least  signification  of  his  will  was  a  law  to 
her  ;  for  she  knew  that  he  would  require  noth- 
ing- of  her  inconsistent  with  her  duty  to  God 
and  her  husband.  He  had  enjoined  her  not  to 
make  known  her  kindred  or  her  people ;  and 
this  she  religiously  abstained  from,  not  only 
when  she  -was  under  the  conduct  of  Hegia,  but 
after  she  was  seated  in  the  affections  of  Aha- 
suerus,  and  had  come  to  the  kingdom.  "  Est- 
her  had  not  yet  shoiced  her  kindred  nor  her 
people  ;  as  Mordecai  had  charged  herJ^  She, 
no  doubt,  felt  a  strong  desire  to  make  the 
avowal,  and  to  use  her  interest  with  the  king 
for  the  advancement  of  her  kind  benefactor. 
But  even  this  generous  feeling  she  repressed^ 
because  it  would  have  led  to  a  transgression  of 
his  command.  To  testify  her  gratitude  she 
would  not  disobey  him,  nor  run  the  risk  of  dis- 
pleasing him.  And  she  acted  thus,  though  it 
does  not  appear  that  he  acquainted  her  with  his 
reasons  for  concealment.  "Many  daughters 
have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them 
all." 


DUTIFUL    CONDUCT    OF    ESTHER.    63 

We  may  be  sure,  however,  that  Mordecai 
did  not  impose  this  silence  arbitrarily  ;  and  his 
caution  confirms  the  remark  already  made,  that 
he  looked  forward  to  something  more  import- 
ant that  was  to  be  accomplished  by  the  eleva- 
tion of  his  daughter,  and  waited  for  the  oppor- 
tune occasion  when  the  disclosure  of  her  people 
and  relationship  to  him  would  be  the  means  of 
advancing  it.  "  Known  unto  God  are  all  his 
works  from  the  beginning,"  and  "  the  secret  of 
Jehovah  is  with  them  that  fear  him." 


64 


LECTURE    FOURTH. 


Esther  II.   21—23;   III.   1—6. 

hi  those  days,  white  Mordccai  sat  in  the  king's  gate,  two  of 
the  king^s  chamherlains,  Bigthan  and  Teresh,  of  those 
tchich  kept  the  door,  were  wroth,  and  souglU  to  lay  hand 
on  the  King  Ahasuerus.  And  the  thing  teas  known  to 
Mordecai,  who  told  it  unto  Esther  the  queen ;  and  Esther 
certified  the  king  thereof  in  MordecaVs  name^  And 
when  inquisition  was  made  of  the  matter,  it  was  found 
out ;  therefore  tlvcy  were  both  hanged  on  a  tree  :  and  it 
teas  written  in  the  hook  of  the  chronicles  before  the 
king. 

After  these  things  did  King  Ahasuerus  promote  Ha7nan, 
the  son  of  Hammedatha  the  Agagite,  and  advanced  him, 
and  set  his  seat  ahove  all  the  princes  that  were  with 
him.  And  all  the  king's  servants,  which  icere  in  the 
king's  gate,  bowed,  and  reverenced  Human ;  for  the 
king  had  so  commanded  concerning  him.  But  Mordecai 
bowed  not,  nor  did  him  reverence.  Then  the  king's 
servants,  which  were  in  the  king's  gate,  said  unto  Mor- 
decai, Why  transgressest  tlwu  the  king' s commandment? 
Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  Viey  spake  daily  unto  him, 
and  he  Juirkened  not  unto  them,  that  they  told  Human, 


DIVINE     PROVIDENCE.  65 

to  see  wliether  Mordecat's  matters  would  stand :  for  he 
had  told  them  that  he  was  a  Jew.  And  ichen  Human 
saw  that  Mordecai  bowed  not,  nor  did  him  reverence,  then 
teas  Hainan  full  of  wrath.  And  he  thought  scorn  to  lay 
hands  on  Mordecai  alone ;  for  tfiey  had  showed  him  the 
people  of  Mordecai :  wherefore  Haman  sought  to  destroy 
all  the  Jews  that  were  throughout  the  whole  kingdom  of 
Ahasuerus,  even  the  people  of  Mordecai. 

Our  last  Lecture  traced  the  steps  by  which 
the  captive  and  orphan  Jewess  was  raised  to 
the  royal  estate  of  the  Glueen  of  Persia.  It 
was  her  beauty,  heightened  by  modesty  and 
discretion,  that  won  the  heart  of  Ahasuerus. 
But  how  many  flowers  are  born  to  blush 
unseen,  *br  are  nipped  by  the  chilling  blasts, 
or  are  trodden  under  foot  by  the  beasts  of  the 
field  or  ruthless  man  !  It  was  God  who  gave 
Esther  her  charms  both  of  body  and  mind,  that 
brought  her  under  the  notice  of  the  monarch, 
and  gave  her  favour  and  affection  in  his  eyes. 

Little  did  Ahasuerus  know  of  the  value  of 
the  jewel  which  he  had  placed  in  his  crown. 
Her  personal  attractions  pleased  him,  her  virtu- 
ous and  discreet  demeanour  fixed  his  regards, 
and  he  might  felicitate    himself  on  his  good 


G6  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

fortune,  and  bless  the  happy  star  which  had 
conducted  her  to  his  palace ;  but  he  was  inca- 
pable of  estimating  her  higher  qualities;  he 
knew  not  the  God  whom  she  feared,  nor  the 
important  purposes,  connected  with  his  own 
welfare  and  that  of  others,  for  which  Provi- 
dence had  raised  her  to  his  throne. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  till  these  purposes 
began  to  evolve  themselves,  and  give  promise 
of  greater  things  which  were  to  follow  in  their 
train, 

Bigthan  and  Teresh,  two  of  the  royal  cham- 
berlains, enraged  at  some  injury,  real  or  sup- 
posed, which  the  king  had  done  them,  con- 
spired against  his  life ;  and  the  access  which 
their  official  station  gave  them  to  the  chamber 
of  the  monarch,  offered  them  every  facility  of 
carrying  their  black  design  into  execution. 
Perhaps  they  had  received  some  slight  affront 
which  their  pride  could  not  stomach,  they  had 
been  refused  some  favour  which  they  had 
asked,  or  a  rival  was  put  over  their  heads,  or 
some  neglect  of  duty  on  their  part  had  been 
visited  with  too  great  severity.     And  for  this 


THE     TREASONABLE    PLOT.         G7 

the  royal  blood  must  flow,  the  palace  be  thrown 
into  mourning,  and  the  empire  convulsed. 

O  how  little  reason  have  we  to  envy  the 
state  of  king's  and  great  men  !  Assuredly  they 
are  set  on  slippery  places,  and  surrounded  with 
sons  of  Belial,  who,  instead  of  supporting  them, 
cast  them  suddenly  down  to  destruction.  Hoav 
often  are  they  betrayed  into  iniquitous  and  dan- 
gerous measures  by  wicked  counsellors  !  Nor 
are  their  own  lives  safe.  They  have  not  the 
means  of  discriminating  between  those  who 
are  honest  and  those  who  are  faithless :  they 
sometimes  fix  their  regards  on  unworthy  fa- 
vourites, drink  in  their  poisonous  flattery,  and 
suflfer  themselves  to  be  led  blindfolded  by  them, 
until  a  dart  strike  through  their  liver.  Above 
all  others,  an  arbitrary  prince  is  least  to  be  en- 
vied. Where  there  is  no  law,  or  (what  amounts 
nearly  to  the  same  thing)  where  the  admini- 
stration of  the  law  depends  on  the  pleasure  of 
an  individual,  there  is  no  security  to  the  sub- 
jects, and  no  hope  of  the  redress  of  injuries. 
Such  a  state  of  things  produces  at  once  despair 
and  revenofe  ;    it  makes  men  reckless  of  their 


68  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

own  lives,  and  greedy  of  the  blood  of  others. 
Hence  the  dark  conspiracies  which  have  been 
hatched  in  the  courts  of  despotic  rulers,  who 
have  so  often  been  cut  off  by  the  dagger  and 
the  empoisoned  cup.  The  very  frequency  of 
such  occurrences  is  infectious,  and  acts  as  a 
stimulant  to  the  envious  and  those  who  are 
given  to  change.  It  is  in  vain  that  they  multi- 
ply precautions  ;  their  table  becomes  a  snare  to 
them,  their  guards  their  betrayers,  their  favou- 
rites their  executioners. 

In  the  instance  before  us,  the  plot  was  hap- 
pily discovered  and  defeated ;  but  by  whom  ? 
Not  by  any  of  the  counsellors,  or  of  the  cham- 
berlains, or  other  honorary  servants  who  were 
placed  around  the  king,  and  bound  to  watch 
over  his  safety ;  but  by  Mordecai,  one  of  the 
porters  who  sat  at  the  gate  of  the  palace.  Thus 
in  Providence,  as  well  as  in  grace,  "  God  hath 
often  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  this  world  to 
confound  the  wise;  and  base  things  of  the 
world,  and  things  which  are  despised  hath 
God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to 
bring  to  nought  things  that  are,"     Whether 


T  H  E    D  I  S  C  O  V  E  R  Y  .  69 

the  conspirators  had  broken  their  design  to 
him,  under  the  idea  that,  as  a  foreigner  and 
a  captive,  he  might  be  inclined  to  assist  them 
— or  whether  he  had  overheard  their  dis- 
course at  some  of  their  nocturnal  meetings — 
or  whether  it  was  by  some  other  means  that 
he  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  plot,  we 
are  not  informed ;  but  he  lost  no  time  in  im- 
parting the  secret  to  Esther,  who  told  it  to  the 
king  her  husband ;  and  inquisition  being  made 
into  the  matter,  the  chamberlains  were  con- 
victed and  executed. 

Upon  what  small,  and  apparently  fortuitous 
circumstances,  do  life  and  death  depend !  and 
yet  each  of  these  comes  within  divine  pre- 
science and  pre-ordination !  Not  a  sparrow 
can  fall  to  the  ground  without  our  heavenly 
Father,  and  the  hairs  of  our  head  are  number- 
ed. If  Mordecai  had  not  procured  a  place  in 
the  king's  gate,  he  could  not  have  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  conspiracy — if  Esther  had 
not  been  raised  to  the  place  w^hich  she  now  fill- 
ed, his  knowledge  might  have  been  useless  to 
the  king,  and  might  have  proved  fatal  to  him- 
0 


70  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

self;  for  Eastern  monarchs  are  inaccessible  to 
all  their  subjects  except  a  few; — he  might  have 
imparted  his  information  to  a  confident  of  the 
conspirators,  and  they  might  have  been  able  to 
fasten  the  crime  upon  him,  and  the  faithful 
informer  would  have  suffered  as  a  traitor  and  a 
regicide. 

"  Mine  eyes  shall  be  on  the  faithful  of  the 
land,  that  they  may  dwell  with  me,"  says 
David;  "he  that  walketh  in  a  perfect  way,  he 
shall  serve  me."  It  is  an  unspeakable  benefit 
to  have  those  around  us,  and  within  our  house, 
who  fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments. 
Professors  of  religion  often  make  indifferent 
servants,  but  one  who  is  truly  pious  will  be 
faithful,  steady,  and  affectionate.  He  will  be  so 
to  an  infidel,  and  "  if  he  have  a  believing  master, 
will  not  despise  him,  because  he  is  a  brother, 
but  rather  do  him  service  because  he  is  faithful 
and  beloved,  a  partaker  of  the  benefit."  But,  be- 
sides these  qualities,  they  have  often  been  made 
a  blessing  to  the  houses  in  which  they  lived  by 
their  good  example,  their  advice,  their  prayers, 
and  their  interest  with  heaven.     "  One  sinner 


THEDISCOVERY.  71 

destroyeth  much  good;"  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  one  saint  neutralizes  and  dissipates  much 
evil.  "  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon  the 
righteous."  The  shield  of  divine  protection  is 
spread  over  those  among  they  dwell.  God 
hath  promised  not  only  to  bless  them,  but  also 
"  to  make  them  a  blessing."  Laban  was  forced 
to  acknowledge  to  Jacob,  envious  and  churlish 
as  he  was,  "  I  have  learned  by  experience  that 
the  Lord  hath  blessed  me  for  thy  sake ;"  and 
Joseph's  master  "  saw  that  the  Lord  was  with 
him,  and  made  all  that  he  did  to  prosper  in  his 
hands.  Esther  and  Mordecai  were  fervent  in  their 
supplications  for  the  king,  and  God  answered 
their  prayers  by  preserving  him  from  a  desperate 
plot,  and  honoured  them  as  the  instruments  of 
exposing  and  defeating  it.  "  The  secret  of  the 
Lord  is  with  them  that  fear,  him,  and  he  will 
show  them  his  covenant."  When  the  decree  of 
Nebuchadnezzar  had  gone  forth  to  slay  all  the 
wise  men  of  Babylon,  because  they  could  not 
declare  his  dream,  Daniel  and  his  companions 
had  recourse  to  prayers.  "  Then  was  the  secret 
revealed  unto  Daniel  in  a  ni2:ht  vision.     The 


72  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

king's  matter  was  made  known  to  Daniel"  in  a 
preternatural  and  miraculous  way;  because, 
from  the  nature  of  the  thing,  there  was  no  ordi- 
nary way  of  communicating  it  to  him.  But 
God  was  not  accustomed  to  work  miracles  in 
vain,  or  unnecessarily,  even  in  an  age  of  mira- 
cles. Providence  could  so  order  things  as  that 
Mordecai  should  repair  to  the  spot,  without  his 
dreaming  of  what  was  going  on,  where  he 
should  hear  the  conspirators  talking  over  their 
murderous  intent.  And  in  this  way  the  thing 
was  as  really  made  known  by  God,  as  if  he 
had  sent  his  angel  to  communicate  the  informa- 
tion, or  had  announced  it  with  an  audible  voice 
from  heaven.  Accordingly,  I  have  no  doubt 
that  Mordecai,  like  Daniel,  "blessed  the  God 
of  heaven :  for  wisdom  and  might  are  his :  he 
changeth  the  times  and  seasons ;  he  removeth. 
kings,  and  setteth  up  kings ;  he  revealeth  the 
deep  and  secret  things;  he  knoweth  what  is 
in  darkness — for  he  hath  made  known  to  me 
the  king's  matter.'' 

We  fail  in  our  observation  of  divine  provi- 
dence, two  ways:    First,  by  carelessness  and 


FONDNESS    FOR     MIRACLES.         /  o 

inattention  ;  and,  secondly,  by  explaining  what 
befalls  us  in  a  preternatural  way ;  for  in  this 
last  case  we  overlook,  or  throw  into  shade,  the 
display   of  the   Avisdom   of  God   in  bringing 
about  the  event  by  the  combination  of  ordinary 
means.     Though  it  may  appear  paradoxical,  I 
have  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  the  assertion, 
that  one  reason  why  some  in  the  present  day 
have   shown   such   a  fondness  for   immediate 
revelations  and  miracles,  is  that  they  have  not 
been  brought  to  see  how  adapted  the  word  of 
God  is  to  the  various  circumstances  in  which 
we  are  placed,  nor   habituated  themselves   to 
trace  the  wisdom  of  God  in  the  ordinary  dis- 
pensations of  his  Providence.     If  I  have  expe- 
rienced  the   kindness   of  a  distant  friend  for 
years,  and  have  marked  the  thousand  ways  in 
which  he  has  foreseen  and  provided  for  my 
wants,  I  will  not  be  in  danger,  when  a  sum  of 
money  comes  unexpectedly  to  my  hands  in  a 
time  of  distress,  of  supposing  that  it  has  dropped 
from  the  clouds,  or  was  conveyed  to  me  by  a 
bird  of  the  air. 

Two  things  we  would  have  expected  to  fol- 


74  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

low  the  event  on  which  we  have  been  com- 
menting: First,  that  Esther,  with  the  permis- 
sion of  Mordecai,  would  have  made  known  her 
connexion  with  that  good  man  and  kind  rela- 
tion. This  appears  a  most  favourable  opportu- 
nity of  avowing  what  Mordecai  had  hitherto 
concealed.  But  he  was  wise,  and  deemed  it 
prudent  that  things  should  go  on  as  they  had 
done.  He  w^as  contented  wdth  the  service 
which  he  had  done.  He  did  not  know  what 
envy  or  hatred  it  might  create;  and  he  -was  un- 
willing that  his  affairs  should  embarrass  or 
compromise  the  safety  of  his  adopted  daughter. 
He  resolved  still  to  sit  in  the  gate,  "  to  knoiu 
how  Esther  did,  and  what  should  become  of 
her ;"  Providence  would  bring  forth  the  secret 
at  the  fit  time.  With  this  resolution  Esther 
religiously  complied,  though  she  burned  with 
desire  to  make  the  avowal. 

Another  thing  which  we  might  have  expect- 
ed, is  that  Mordecai  would  have  been  richly 
rewarded  for  his  fidelity  and  vigilance,  even 
although  his  relation  to  the  queen  was  not 
known.      In  this  also   we  are    disappointed. 


M  0  K  D  E  C  A  I    UNREWARDED.  /  O 

They  who  had  plotted  against  the  king's  Ufe 
were  punished;  but  the  person  that  saved  it 
was  not  rewarded.  Such  an  issue  is  intended 
to  lead  the  minds  of  godly  men  to  look  up- 
wards, and  to  seek  that  recompense  which  God 
will  give  them  in  due  season,  and,  if  not  sooner, 
certainly  at  the  resurrection  of  the  just.  But 
this  does  not  lesson  the  sin  of  human  ingrati- 
tude. All  that  Mordecai  obtained,  was  to  have 
his  name  and  service  recorded  in  the  chroni- 
cles of  the  kings  of  Persia,  that  he  might  be 
remembered  at  a  future  period ;  and  even  this 
was  soon  forgotten.  He  continued  to  occupy 
the  humble  place  of  a  porter  at  the  king's 
gates.  But  let  this  reconcile  us  to  the  arrange- 
ment: "the  thing  proceeded  from  the  Lord," 
that  the  reward  might  be  given  at  a  period,  and 
in  a  way  which  served  to  illustrate  his  work  in 
the  preservation  of  his  people. 

The  third  chapter  of  this  book,  to  which  we 
have  now  come,  discloses  to  us  another  scene 
in  this  eventful  and  instructive  history.  Ano- 
ther actor  is  brought  upon  the  stage,  whose 
character  is  placed  in  striking  contrast  to  that 


76  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

of  Mordecai.  His  name  was  Haman.  He 
was  the  son  of  Hammedatha,  and  is  called  an 
Agagite,  which  is  generally  understood  to 
mean  that  he  was  an  Amalekite  :  being  a  com- 
mon name  of  the  kings  of  Amalek,  from  whom 
Haman  might  be  descended.  The  king  had 
conceived  a  strong  partiality  for  this  stranger, 
who  gradually  rose  in  honours  until  he  was 
"  set  above  all  the  pri/ices,^^  being  made  prime 
minister  of  state.  It  is  a  common  fault  of  abso- 
lute princes  that  they  err  in  the  choice  of  their 
favourites,  fixing  upon  those  who  possess  showy 
accomplishments,  or  who  flatter  their  vanity,  or 
minister  to  their  baser  pleasures.  The  conse- 
quence of  this  is,  that  their  subjects  is  oppressed, 
and  their  own  reputation  and  comfort  tarnished 
and  marred.  Haman  no  doubt  possessed  tal- 
ents, but  his  conduct  shows  that  he  was  desti- 
tute of  true  magnanimity  and  courage— proud, 
ambitious,  crafty,  and  revengeful. 

Kings  are  not  always  great  men,  and  great 
men  are  not  always  wise.  Ahasuerus  had 
lately  been  happy  in  the  choice  of  a  queen  who 
knew  how  to  keep  her  place,  and  wear  her 


H  A  M  A  N  '  S    ADVANCEMENT.  77 

honours  meekly ;  he  was  now  most  unhappy 
in  the  choice  of  a  favourite,  whose  ambition,  in- 
stead of  being  gratified,  is  inflamed  by  the  un- 
expected honours  which  had  been  showered 
upon  him.  He  had  taken  Esther  to  his  bosom; 
and  now  he  calls  to  his  side  one  who  proved  a 
mortal  enemy  to  her  generous  benefactor,  and 
to  her  whole  race. 

Personal  qualities  only  will  secure  the  ap- 
probation of  the  wise  and  the  good :  but  how 
small  is  the  number  of  this  class!  The  re- 
commendations to  popular  favour  and  applause 
are  quite  different  things; — adventitious  quali- 
ties— brilliant  accomnlishments — wealth,  rank, 
favour,  excite  the-  admiration  and  draw  the 
homage  of  the  multitude.  No  sooner  was  it 
known  that  Haman  was  the  favourite  at  court, 
and  that  honours  were  to  be  obtained  through 
his  influence  alone,  than  all  eyes  were  turned 
to  him,  and  every  knee  bent  at  his  approach. 
In  particular,  the  servants  about  the  palace, 
who  were  anxious  to  retain  their  places,  or  to 
purchase  a  higher  degree,  were  ready  to  bow 
and  cringe,  and  lick  the  dust,  in  the  presence  of 


78  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

the  minion  whom  the  king  delighted  to  honour. 
Venal  souls !  and  no  less  fickle  than  venal ! 
they  would  be  equally  ready  to  exult  over  his 
fall,  and  to  help  him  to  his  final  elevation  on 
the  gallows. 

Mordecai  was  of  a  different  spirit,  and  there- 
fore would  not  fawn  on  the  worthless  favourite, 
or  prostrate  himself  before  him,  like  his  timid 
or  mercenary  companions.  Though  willing 
to  "render  honour  to  whom  honour  is  due,"  he 
durst  not  "  speak  great  swelling  words,  having 
men's  persons  in  admiration;  because  of  advan- 
tage." "  Mordecai  bowed  not  nor  did  him  re- 
verence.''^ Some  have  supposed  that  Mordecai 
refused  to  yield  the  honours  paid  to  Haman, 
because  they  were  too  great  for  any  creature, 
and  would  have  involved  him  in  idolatry. 
Others  are  of  opinion  that  his  refusal  turned  on 
the  wicked  character  of  the  favourite,  joined 
with  the  implacable  hatred  of  the  Jews,  borne 
by  Haman's  people,  the  Amalekites,  and  the 
consequent  malediction  under  which  they  had 
been  laid  in  the  law  of  Moses.  But  though  we 
should  not  be  able  to  ascertain  the  true  reason 


79 

which  actuated  Mordecai,  we  may  still  learn, 
from  this  portion  of  history,  that  no  danger  to 
which  we  may  be  exposed  ought  to  induce  us 
to  violate  our  consciences,  by  honouring  those 
whom  we  may  and  ought  to  despise ;  or  by 
given  external  tokens  of  feelings  alien  to  our 
hearts.  We  should  be  steady  and  resolute  in 
matters  of  conscience,  though  this  should  ex- 
pose us  to  censures  and  threatening.  Religion 
is  not  inconsistent  with  civility  and  good  man- 
ners, and  teaches  us  to  render  honour  to  whom 
honour  is  due.  But  it  is  one  of  the  marks  of  a 
true  citizen  of  Zion,  that  "in  his  eyes  a  vile 
person  is  despised ;  while  he  honoureth  them 
that  fear  the  Lord." 

Mordecai  was  aware  that  his  refusal  could 
not  long  remain  a  secret  to  Haman,  especially 
after  he  had  resisted  the  solicitations  of  those 
who  urged  him  to  join  in  the  common  expres- 
sions of  homage  to  the  royal  favourite.  It  does 
not  appear  that  any  of  his  fellow-servants  were 
actuated  by  malice  against  him.  They  might 
wish  to  recommend  themselves  to  Haman — they 
might  be  afraid  that  the  fact  would  come  to  his 


80  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

knowledge,  and  that  they  might  be  charged 
with  a  wish  to  conceal  and  abet  the  indignity — 
or  they  might  give  the  information  from  the 
mere  love  of  intermeddling,  and  of  excessive 
curiosity.  This  last  supposition  is  most  favour- 
ed by  the  sacred  narrative,  which  says  "  they 
told  Ha7na?i,  to  see  icheiher  Mordecai s  matter 
would  standi 

But  we  must  leave  the  storm  brewing. 


LECTURE    FIFTH. 


Esther  III.   6—15. 

And  he  thought  scorn  to  lay  hands  on  Mordecai  alone ;  for 
they  had  showed  him  the  people  of  Mordecai :  wherefore 
Human  sought  to  destroy  all  the  Jews  that  were  through- 
out the  tchole  kingdom  of  Ahasuerus,  even  the  people  of 
Mordecai.  In  the  first  month,  that  is,  the  month  Nisan, 
in  the  twelfth  year  of  King  Ahasuerus,  they  cast  Pur, 
that  is,  the  lot,  before  Human  from  day  to  day,  and  from 
month  to  month,  to  the  twelfth  month,  that  is,  tlie  month 
Adar.  And  Human  said  unto  King  Ahasuerus,  There 
is  a  certain  people  scattered  abroad  and  dispersed  among 
the  people  in  all  the  provinces  of  thy  kingdom  ;  and  their 
laws  are  diverse  from  all  people ;  neither  keep  they  the 
king's  laics  :  therefore  it  is  not  for  the  king's  profit  to 
suffer  them.  If  it  please  the  king,  let  it  be  written  that 
they  may  be  destroyed:  and  I  will  pay  ten  thousand 
talents  of  silver  to  the  hands  of  those  that  hare  the  charge 
of  the  business,  to  bring  it  irito  the  king's  treasuries. 
And  tlie  king  took  his  ring  from  his  hand,  and  gave  it 
unto  Human,  the  son  of  Hammedatha,  the  Agagite,  the 

7 


74  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

Jews'  enemy.  And  the  king  said  unto  Human,  The 
silver  is  given  to  thee,  the  people  also,  to  do  with  them  as 
it  seemeth  good  to  thee.  Then  icere  the  kins' s  scribes 
called  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  frst  month.,  and  there 
was  written  according  to  all  that  Hamanhad commanded 
unto  the  king's  lieutenants,  and  to  tlie  governors  that 
were  over  every  province,  and  to  the  riders  of  every  people 
of  every  province  according  to  the  writing  thereof,  and  to 
every  people  after  their  language ;  in  the  name  of  King 
AJiasuerus  was  it  icritten,  and  sealed  with  the  king^s 
ring.  And  the  letters  were  sent  by  post  into  all  the  king^S 
provinces,  to  destroy,  to  kill,  and  to  cause  to  'perish,  all 
Jews,  both  young  and  old,  little  children  and  women,  in 
one  day,  even  upon  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  month, 
which  is  the  month  Adar,  and  to  take  the  spoil  oftliemfor 
a  prey.  Tlie  copy  of  the  writing  for  a  cammandment 
to  be  given  in  every  province  was  published  unto  all  peo- 
ple, that  they  should  be  ready  against  that  day.  The 
posts  went  out,  being  hastened  by  the  king's  command- 
ment, and  the  decree  was  given  in  Shushan,  the  palace. 
And  ilie  king  and  Haman  sat  doicn  to  drink ;  but  the 
city  Shushan  was  perplexed. 

It  is  probable  that  Baman  Avas  at  first  incre- 
dulous as  to  the  indignity  reported  to  have  been 
done  him  by  Mordecai.  He  could  not  believe 
that  there  was  an  individual,  much  less  one 
occupying  so  low  a  place  as  that  of  porter  to 
the  palacf>,  who  would  have  the  audacity  to 


HAMANS  PLAN  OF  REVENGE.  75 

incur  his  displeasure,  or  refuse  to  bow  to  him 
Vv'hom  the  king  delighted  to  honour.  But 
when  he  marked  the  conduct  of  Mordecai,  and 
found  that  the  report  brought  to  him  was  true, 
he  was  "  very  wroth." 

A  meek  and  humble  spirit  would  have  for- 
given the  affront,  and  made  use  of  it  for  morti- 
fying that  pride  which  grandeur,  and  especially 
sudden  elevation  is  apt  to  produce.  A  person 
of  true  magnanimity  would  have  shown  him- 
self above  mentioning  it,  and  would  have  ex- 
cused what  appeared  to  him  unreasonable  and 
pragmatical.  Let  the  man  have  his  humour, 
what  hurt  can  it  do  to  me?  Who  would  be 
angry  with  a  Quaker  for  not  taking  off  his  hat 
when  he  comes  into  a  room?  The  greater 
part  of  our  umbrages  arise  from  our  pride, 
which,  if  it  does  not  create,  aggravates  insults ; 
and  the  man  who  insists  punctiliously  upon  the 
honours  which  he  thinks  due  to  him,  exposes 
himself  to  mortifications  which  otherwise  he 
would  never  feel.  "  It  is  better  to  be  of  a  hum- 
ble spirit  with  the  lowly,  than  to  divide  the 
spoil  with  the  strong." 


76  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

Wounded  pride  excites  revenge,  and  this 
always  burns  hottest  in  the  weakest  minds. 
The  lords  of  the  Philistines  were  content  with 
the  removal  of  David  from  the  presence  of 
Achish.  The  counsellors  of  Darius  were  sat- 
isfied with  Daniel's  being  thrown  to  the  lions. 
But  Haman  ''thought  scorn  to  lay  hold  onMor- 
decai  aloneP  His  life  must  go  for  his  inso- 
lence ;  but  that  was  a  poor  sacrifice  to  the  inju- 
red honour  of  so  great  a  man  as  Haman. 
"Would  he  pursue  a  dead  dog?  a  flea?  He 
would  do  something  to  signalize  his  revenge, 
and  let  all  men  know  what  should  be  done  to 
him  who  contemned  the  favourite  of  the  king. 
He  affects  to  despise  the  object  of  his  resent- 
ment ;  and  yet  his  conduct  showed  that  he  set 
much  on  his  opinion.  Nothing  less  can  as- 
suage his  anger  than  the  destruction  of  the 
whole  people  of  Mordecai. 

How  insatiable  is  revenge,  especially  when 
it  is  associated  with  national  and  religious  ran- 
cour !  Haman  learned  that  Mordecai  was  a 
Jew,  a  name  that  called  up  the  bitterest  recol- 
lections in  the  breast  of  an  Amalekite,  and  he 


resolves  at  once  on  the  total  extermination  of 
that  people.  ■  Nero  wished  that  the  Romans  had 
but  one  neck,  that  he  might  despatch  them  at 
once ;  and  Haman  resolves  by  one  decree  to 
sweep  off  "  all  the  Jews  which  were  in  all  the 
kingdom  of  AhasuerusP  That  the  quarrel  was 
not  merely  personal,  but  was  inflamed  by  na- 
tional hatred,  is  evident  from  the  designation, 
"  the  Jeics^  ene.myr  repeatedly  given  to  Haman 
in  this  book.  The  discovery  that  Mordecai 
was  of  Jewish  extraction,  while  it  gave  a  keen- 
ness to  his  insult,  added  a  sweetness  to  Ra- 
man's meditated  revenge  :  '  Now,'  as  \i'  he  had 
said,''  I  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  avenging 
the  wrongs  of  my  people  on  that  detested  race. 
Come,  let  us  cut  them  off  from  being  a  nation.' 
Having  formed  his  resolution,  he  proceeded 
to  take  mieasures  for  executing  it  in  the  most 
sure  manner.  Superstition  and  imposture  have 
always  been  ready  to  lend  their  aid  to  the  worst 
and  most  diabolical  deeds.  It  was  customary 
among  the  ancients  to  divide  their  days  into 
lucky  and  unlucky,  and  they  were  anxious  to 
undertake  any  great  work  on  a  propitious  day* 
7* 


78  LECTURES    OK    ESTHER. 

Among  the  various  ways  to  which  they  had 
recourse  for  ascertaining  this,  was  the  lot,  which 
was  used  on  this  occasion  by  Haman.  "  In  the 
first  month  they  cast  Pur,  thai  is,  the  lot,  before 
Haman  from  day  to  day,  and.  from  month  to 
month,  to  the  twelfth  month,  that  is,  the  month 
AdarP  It  is  of  little  importance  to  ascertain 
the  particular  mode  of  casting  the  lot,  whether 
it  was  by  means  of  dice  or  other  instruments 
cast  into  an  urn,  or  by  throwing  arrows  or  other 
missiles,  accompanied  with  certain  magical  ac- 
tions. This  last  method  Avas  used  by  the  Chal- 
deans, as  we  learn  from  the  21st  chapter  of 
Ezekiel,  in  which  Nebuchadnezzar  is  represent- 
ed as  stopping  at  the  spot  where  the  road  parted 
toward  the  capitals  of  Judea  and  Ammon,  and 
using  divination  to  decide  which  place  he  should 
first  attack.  •'  The  king  of  Babylon  stood  at  the. 
parting  of  the  way,  to  use  divination ;  he  made 
his  arrows  bright,  he  consulted  with  teraphim, 
he  looked  in  the  liver.  At  his  right  hand 
was  the  divination  for  Jerusalem,  that  is,  the 
divinations  indicated  that  he  should  take  the 
right  hand  toward  Jerusalem.     Our  translation 


DIVINATION.  79 

seems  to  intimate,  that  Haman  had  recourse  to 
the  lot  every  day  during  a  whole  year  ;  a  pro- 
cess which  appears  altogether  superfluous,  and 
involving  a  delay  ill  suited  to  the  disposition  of 
Haman.  The  mode  adopted  by  him  was,  first, 
to  determine  by  lot  which  of  the  months  of  the 
year  was  most  auspicious  ;  and  secondly,  what 
day  of  the  month ;  and  the  lot  fell  upon  the 
thirteenth  day  of  Adar,  or  nearly  twelve  months 
from  the  time  at  which  the  decision  was  given. 
And  here  we  may  observe  the  overruling  provi- 
dence of  God.  During  an  interval  of  eleven 
months,  Mordecai  and  Esther  had  time  to  use 
means  for  defeating  the  design,  and  if  they  pro- 
ved unsuccessful,  the  Jews  had  time  to  shift  for 
their  lives.  The  hearts  of  all  men,  and  of  kings 
among  the  rest,  are  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  who 
can  turn  them  as  he  pleaseth,  and  he  directeth 
all  events,  even  those  which  to  men  are  contin- 
gent and  appear  fortuitous.  "  The  lot  is  cast 
into  the  lap,  but  the  whole  disposing  thereof  is 
of  the  Lord."  Haman  was  the  slave  of  supersti- 
tion, which  controlled  his  most  violent  passions, 
and  by  means  of  it  his  wrath  was  restrained,  and 


so  LECTURES    ON     ESTHEr!^ 

its  intentions  brought  to  nought.  "  The  Lord  is 
kno^vn  by  the  judgment  which  he  executeth : 
the  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of  his  own 
hands."  "  Haman  has  appealed  to  the  lot,  and 
to  the  lot  he  shall  go,  which,  by  adjourning  the 
execution,  gives  judgment  against  him,  and 
breaks  the  neck  of  the  plot.''* 

Having  settled  the  matter  with  his  diviners, 
and  fixed  on  the  best  time  for  executing  his 
scheme,  Haman  applied  to  the  king  for  permis- 
sion to  destroy  the  Jews.  One  would  have 
thought  that  this  would  have  been  the  first  step, 
but  so  much  did  he  presume  upon  his  favour 
with  the  monarch,  that  he  had  not  only  formed 
his  plot,  but  fixed  on  the  very  day  of  its  execu- 
tion before  he  broke  the  matter  to  Ahasuerus. 
In  the  same  manner  did  he  proceed  in  his  plan  of 
prematurely  wreaking  vengeance  on  Mordecai. 
This  is  the  way  in  which  princes  are  imposed 
upon  by  their  favourites  and  flatterers.  They 
persuade  themselves  that  they  are  sovereigns, 
and  can  do  whatever  they  please,  whereas,  in 
reality,  they  are  under  the  management  of  those 

*  Henry. 


CALUMNIES     OF     PERSECUTORS.    81 

to  whom  they  have  given  their  ear,  and  their 
authority  is  employed  to  gratify  the  passions  and 
serve  the  interests  of  their  unworthy  and  unprin- 
cipled minions, 

Ahasuerus,  though  vain  and  credulous,  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  naturally  cruel.  It  was 
necessary  for  the  wicked  minister  to  proceed 
subtilely  in  obtaining  the  royal  assent  to  his 
proposal.  This  he  accomplished  by  a  false  and 
malicious  representation  of  the  objects  of  his 
malice.  They  were  an  abject  and  despicable 
people —  a  race  of  vagrants  scattered  through 
all  the  provinces  of  the  empire.  Not  only  were 
their  manners  and  customs  different  from  all 
other  people,  but  they  had  laws  of  their  own 
different  from  those  of  the  king,  by  which  they 
regulated  their  conduct,  to  the  disparagement 
of  the  laws  of  the  empire;  and  contemptible  as 
they  were  in  themselves,  yet  being  scattered 
through  all  the  provinces  of  the  kingdom,  their 
example  and  influence  were  dangerous,  and 
might  lead  to  general  disaffection  and  rebellion. 
In  this  manner  the  Samaritan  enemies  of  the 
Jews  represented  Jerusalem  as  "  the  rebellious 


82  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

and  the  bad  city,"  within  which  they  had  "  mov- 
ed sedition  of  old  time.'' 

And  it  is  thus  that  persecution,  both  by  hand 
and  tongue,  has  been  usually  excited  against 
the  people  of  God.  They  have  been  rendered 
odious  by  falsehood  and  misrepresentation. 
Thus  Christ  was  accused  of  setting  himself  up 
as  a  rival  to  Cassar,  and  his  followers  were  re- 
presented as  propagating  the  same  design,  as 
men  who  turned  the  world  upside  down, — 
"and  all  doing  contrary  to  the  decrees  of  Csesar, 
saying  that  there  is  another  king,  one  Jesus." 
Ordinarily  there  is  some  truth  mixed  up  with 
falsehood,  which  renders  the  calumny  more 
dangerous.  So  far  as  regarded  religion,  it  was 
true  that  the  Jews  had  laws  diverse  from  all 
people,  neither  kept  they  the  king's  laws  on 
this  head ;  but  this  did  not  interfere  with  their 
civil  allegiance,  and  their  enemies  belied  and 
calumniated  them  when  they  insinuated  that 
they  did  not  yield  a  thankful  obedience  to 
the  laws  of  the  empire  in  secular  matters.  In 
a  similar  way  were  the  Puritans  in  England, 
and  the  Presbyterians  in  Scotland,   misrepre- 


THEBRIBE.  S3 

seated  and  persecuted,  because  they  rejected  the 
ecclesiastical  supremacy  claimed  by  the  king, 
and  maintained  that  the  church  ought  to  be 
governed  by  the  laws  of  Christ,  and  office- 
bearers appointed  by  him  as  her  head  and  law- 
giver; they  were  stigmatized  as  denying  the 
civil  supremacy,  enemies  to  monarchy,  setting 
up  an  empire  within  an  empire,  and  "  saying 
there  was  another  king,  one  Jesus,"  which  was 
only  a  different  version  of  the  old  calumny  in 
our  text — "  their  laws  are  diverse  from  all  peo- 
ple ;  neither  keep  they  the  Jang' s  laws:  therer 
fore  it  is  not  for  the  kiyig' s  profit  to  suffer 
themP  Such  have  been  the  arts  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  wicked  one,  who  was  a  liar  and  a 
murderer  from  the  beginning. 

But  Haman  employed  another  stratagem  to 
ensnare  the  king  into  an  adoption  of  his  design. 
It  might  be  alleged  that  the  destruction  of  such 
a  multitude  of  persons  scattered  over  the  em- 
pire, would  endanger  the  king's  revenue  by  the 
loss  of  the  tribute  hitherto  paid  by  the  Jews. 
To  rem>o-ve  this  objection,  the  wicked  minister 
offered  to  provide  against  the  deficiency,^  by 


84  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

paying  into  the  treasury  "  ten  thousand  talents 
of  silver, ^^  a  large  sum,  amounting  to  upwards 
of  two  millions  sterling  of  our  money,  according 
to  the  value  of  a  talent  in  the  Babylonian  reck- 
oning, and  to  double  that  sum  in  Jewish  reck- 
oning. This  wore  the  air  of  disinterestedness 
and  generosity;  but,  in  a  reflecting  mind,  it 
would  have  excited  the  suspicion  of  some  per- 
sonal motive  actuating  the  author  of  the  despe- 
rate project.  For  men  are  not  gratuitously 
generous;  and  if  it  was  ''not  for  the  king's 
profit  to  suffer  them^  where  was  the  need  of 
compensation?  or  if  a  pecuniary  loss  should  be 
sustained  by  adopting  this  measure  of  safety, 
why  should  it  be  made  up  by  the  minister  who 
had  discovered  the  danger? 

But  thin  as  was  the  veil  of  hypocrisy,  it  was 
sufficient  to  impose  on  the  mind  of  Ahasuerus, 
blinded  by  favouritism.  The  facile  and  credu- 
lous monarch,  Avithout  inquiry,  receives  the 
false  representation,  and  without  reflecting  for  a 
moment  on  the  barbarity  of  the  measure,  de- 
livers up  a  whole  people  to  the  disposal  of  a 
malicious  and  sanguinary  minister,  making  no 


THE    DECREE    IS    ISSUED.  bi) 

more  account  of  their  lives  than  he  did  of  the 
silver  v^^hich  had  been  offered  by  Haman,  and 
vi^hich  he  declined  receiving.  Taking  from  his 
finger  his  ring  or  sign-manual,  he  gave  it  to 
Haman,  that  he  might  affix  it  to  any  decree 
which  he  might  draw  for  the  destruction  of  the 
Jews.  In  this  way  are  affairs  managed  in  the 
courts  of  despotic  princes.  Wretched  is  that 
kingdom  which  is  under  the  government  of  a 
head  without  eyes,  and  having  only  one  ear, 
and  that  ear  possessed  by  a  serpent!  How 
thankful  should  we  be  that  we  are  under  the 
protection  of  law,  and  that  our  lives  are  neither 
at  the  mercy  of  a  despot,  nor  of  a  lawless  mob ! 
Having  procured  the  royal  authority,  Ha- 
man lost  no  time  in  issuing  the  decree  against 
the  Jews.  The  royal  secretaries  were  in- 
stantly summoned ;  letters  were  written  in  the 
name  of  Ahasuerus,  sealed  with  the  king's 
ring,  and  despatched  by  posts  to  the  king's  lieu- 
tenants, and  to  the  governors  of  every  province, 
according  to  their  respective  languages,  enjoin- 
ing them  "  to  destroy,  to  kill,  and  to  cause  to 
perish,  all  Jeivs,  both  young  aiid  old,  Utile  chil- 
8 


86  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

dren  and  women.,  on  one  day^  even  upon  the 
thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  'nwnth,  or  Adar  ;" 
and  to  incite  them  to  this  work  of  blood,  and  to 
the  unsparing  execution  of  it,  the  property  of  the 
slain  was  not  to  go  to  the  royal  exchequer,  but 
to  be  appropriated  by  the  executioners.  In  the 
conduct  of  Haman  we  have  an  example  of  the 
insatiable  rage  of  the  church's  enemies,  and 
especially  of  that  mystery  of  iniquity,  mystical 
Babylon,  who  was  "drunk  with  the  blood  of 
the  saints  and  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus."  Yes, 
decrees,  equalling  this  in  atrocitj'-,  have  been 
issued  against  Protestants  in  Spain,  in  Italy, 
and  in  France,  that  devoted  country,  to  which 
the  eyes  of  so  many  are  now  turned  with  stupid 
admiration,  without  understanding  what  he 
who  "maketh  inquisition  for  blood"  has  been 
doing,  and  is  about  to  do  in  it.  They  had  com- 
mitted no  crime — no  crime  was  laid  to  their 
charge — the  utmost  that  their  malicious  ene- 
mies could  insinuate  was,  that  "  it  was  not  for 
the  king's  profit  to  suffer  them  ;"  yet  they  were 
doomed  "as  sheep  for  the  slaughter,"  and  the 
worst  passions  of  the  human  breast  were  stirred 
up  and  bribed  to  effect  their  destruction. 


C  R  U  E  LT  Y    OF    PERSECUTORS.        S7 

"  Where,"  one  is  ready  to  ask,  "  will  rulers 
find  persons  willing  to  execute  such  unreason- 
able and  barbarous  orders?"  Executioners 
have  seldom  been  wanting.  Many  are  accus- 
tomed to  do  blindly  whatever  their  superiors 
require,  without  inquiring  whether  it  be  right 
or  wrong.  Others  act  under  the  influence  of 
fear,  while  a  thousand  passions,  selfishness, 
avarice,  malice,  envy,  strife,  hatred  to  godliness, 
and  the  innate  love  of  cruelty,  take  the  oppor- 
tunity of  gratifying  themselves  under  the  covert 
of  authority,  and  the  pretext  of  executing  its 
mandates. 

At  first,  however,  this  edict  appears  to  have 
spread  surprise  and  consternation  wherever  it 
came.  When  proclaimed  in  the  capital,  "  the 
city  Shushan  ivas  perplexed.^''  The  consterna- 
tion was  not  confined  to  those  against  whom  the 
edict  was  directed — the  gratuitous  cruelty  of  the 
edict  shocked  all  the  natives  of  the  place,  'i'he 
Jews  had  conducted  themselves  well  in  their 
captivity,  and  God  had  caused  the  enemy  to 
treat  them  with  kindness.  Their  peaceable  be- 
haviour  was   known — their    crime    was    un- 


88  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

known.  Why,  what  evil  had  they  done? 
They  were  sober,  industrious,  submissive,  cour- 
teous, kind.  They  were  charged  with  no  re- 
bellion, sedition,  disturbance.  "  Are  we  to  im- 
brue our  hands  in  the  blood  of  our  innocent 
and  peaceable  neighbours  ?  What  is  the  ten- 
dency of  this  order  but  to  arm  the  idle  and  pro- 
fligate part  of  the  community  against  the  sober? 
Whose  life  or  property  will  be  safe  in  such  a 
general  massacre  ?  But,  on  the  other  hand,  if 
we  refuse  to  execute  the  order,  we  shall  be 
looked  upon  as  disloyal,  and  incur  the  indigna- 
tion of  the  powerful  favourite."  Their  neigh- 
bours were  thus  distracted  between  the  claims 
of  innocence  and  compassion  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  demands  of  authority  on  the  other.  They  durst 
not  disobey,  and  yet  their  hearts  revolted  from  the 
thought  of  massacring  in  cold  blood  young  and 
old,  little  children  and  women ;  nor  did  they 
know  how  soon,  under  such  tyrannic  regimen, 
the  fate  of  the  devoted  Jews  might  become  their 
own.  These  feelings  are  described  by  the  in- 
spired historian  with  picturesque  simplicity — 
"  The  city  Shushan  was  perplexed J^ 


RULERS    AND    PEOPLE.  89 

O  how  little  sympathy  of  feeling  is  there 
often  between  rulers  and  their  subjects,  between- 
the  court  and  country,  or,  to  come  nearer,  be- 
tween the  palace  and  the  capital !  Survey  the 
latter,  and  you  will  perceive  poverty  and 
wretchedness;  you  hear  the  cry  of  oppression, 
or  the  secret  murmuring-s  of  sedition  and  revolt. 
Look  into  the  former,  and  behold  joy  and  glad- 
ness, eating  flesh  and  drinking  wine,  as  if  they 
would  say,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-mor- 
row we  die."  It  is  this  want  of  sympathy 
which  renders  nations  unhappy,  and  shakes  the 
thrones  of  the  mightiest  potentates. 

*'  The  king  and  Haman  sat  down  to  drink ; 
but  the  city  Shushan  ivas  perplexed.'^  Some 
interpreters  think  that  Haman,  afraid  that  the 
king's  conscience  should  smite  him,  and  that  he 
should  wish  what  he  had  done  undone,  engros- 
sed his  company,  and  engaged  him  in  drink- 
ing— the  method  which  many  weak  men  em- 
ploy to  drown  their  own  convictions  and  those 
of  their  associates  in  guilt.  But  the  sacred 
language  describes  them  as  sitting  down  at 
ease,  and  contrasts  the  pleasure  in  which  they 


90  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

indulged  with  the  perplexity  of  the  city.  The 
distress  which  he  had  caused  to  thousands  did 
not  enter  the  mind  of  the  thoughtless,  infatuated 
monarch ;  and  his  more  guilty  minister,  infla- 
ted with  honours,  and  flushed  with  success, 
bade  defiance  to  the  pangs  of  compunction. 
Conscience  exerts  little  or  no  power  over  wick- 
ed men  during  the  continuance  of  their  prospe- 
rity ;  but  when  their  sun  is  overcast,  and  the 
tempest  is  ready  to  break  over  their  heads,  then 
it  awakes  with  a  fury  proportioned  to  its  former 
silence,  and  they  are  fearfully  distracted. 


91 


LECTURE    SIXTH. 

Esther  IV.  1—12. 

When  Mordecai  perceived  all  that  was  done,  Mordecai 
rent  his  clothes,  and  put  on  sackcloth  with  ashes,  and  went 
out  into  the  midst  of  tJie  city,  and  cried  with  a  loud  and 
a  bitter  cry ;  and  came  even  before  the  Icing'' s  gate  :  for 
none  might  enter  into  the  king^s  gate  clothed  icith  sack- 
doth.  And  in  every  province,  whithersoever  the  king^s 
commandment  and  his  decree  came,  tJiere  was  great 
mourning  among  tlie  Jews,  and  fasting,  and  weeping, 
and  wailing;  and  many  lay  in  sackcloth  and  ashes. 
So  Esther'' s  maids  and  her  chamberlains  came  and  told 
it  her.  Then  was  the  queen  exceedingly  grieved ;  and 
she  sent  raiment  to  clotJie  Mordecai,  and  to  take  away 
his  sackcloth  from  him;  but  lie  received  it  not.  Then 
called  Esther  for  Hatach,  one  of  the  king^s  chamberlains, 
whom  he  had  appointed  to  attend  upon  her,  and  gave  him 
a  commandment  to  Mordecai,  to  know  wliat  it  was,  and 
ichy  it  was.  So  Hatach  went  forth  to  Mordecai  unto  tJie 
street  of  the  city,  which  teas  before  the  king's  gate.  And 
Mordecai  told  him  of  all  iliat  liad  happened  unto  him, 
and  of  the  sum  of  money  that  Haman  had  promised  to 
pay  to  the  king's  treasuries  for  the  Jews,  to  destroy  them. 


92  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

Also  he  gave  him  t/ie  copy  of  the  writing  of  the  decree 
that  was  given  at  Shushan  to  destroy  them,  to  show  it  unto 
Esther,  and  to  declare  it  unto  tier,  and  to  charge  her  that 
slie  should  so  in  unto  the  king,  to  make  supplication  unto 
him,  and  to  make  request  hcfoie  him  for  licr  people.  And 
Hatach  came  and  told  Esther  the  words  of  Mjrdecai. 
Asain  EstJier  spake  unto  Hatach,  and gavehim  command- 
ment unto  Mordecai ;  all  the  king's  servants,  and  the  peo- 
ple oftlie  king's  provinces,  do  know,  that  whosoever,  whe- 
ther man  or  woman,  shall  come  unto  the  king  into  the 
inner  court,  who  is  not  called,  there  is  one  law  of  his  to 
put  him  to  death,  except  such  to  whom  the  king  shall  }u)ld 
out  tJie  golden  scjptre,  that  he  may  lite ;  hut  I  have  not 
lezn  called  to  come  in  unto  the  king  these  thirty  days. 
And  they  told  to  Mordecai  Esther's  words. 

There  is  one  prediction  in  the  Bible  which, 
though  it  had  been  single,  would  have  been  suf- 
ficient to  establish  the  divinity  of  that  volume  at 
the  head  of  which  it  stands.  "  I  will  put  enmi- 
ty between  thee  and  the  woman,"  said  God  to 
the  serpent  that  beguiled  Eve,  "and  between 
thy  seed  and  her  seed ;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head, 
and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel."  It  pointed 
eminently  to  the  fulness  of  the  time,  when  the 
old  serpent  instigated  Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate, 
the  Gentiles,  and  the  people  of  the  Jews,  against 


H  A  M  A  n'  S    AR  T  S.  03 

"the  holy  child,"  who  was  born  of  a  woman, 
yet  without  sin ;  and  when  the  glorious  suf- 
ferer, according  to  a  plan  devised  by  "wisdom 
dwelling  with  prudence,"  turned  his  hell- 
hatched  plot  upon  his  own  head,  converted  the 
curse  denounced  against  sin  into  a  blessing,  and 
"through  death  destroyed  him  that  had  the 
power  of  death,  that  is,  the  devil."  But  the 
prediction  was  not  confined  to  that  event,  great 
and  pregnant  with  great  effects  as  it  was.  It 
received  an  accomplishment  soon  after  its  first 
announcement,  and  it  has  been  verified  in  every 
subsequent  age,  by  the  hatred  and  malice  which 
the  children  of  the  wicked  one  have  displayed, 
whenever  they  enjoyed  a  favourable  opportuni- 
ty, against  the  sons  of  God,  by  the  bloody  per- 
secutions which  they  have  often  raised  against 
them,  and  the  diabolical  plots  which  they  have 
forged  for  their  destruction.  The  portion  of 
history  which  we  are  now  considering,  presents 
a  striking  illustration  of  this  remark. 

Haman,  a  man  of  the  most  unprincipled  am- 
bition, had,  by  means  of  those  arts  which  pre- 
vail most  in  arbitrary  courts,  insinuated  himself 


94  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

SO  far  into  the  favour  of  King  Ahasuerus,  as  to 
become  his  prime  minister.  As  an  Amalekite, 
he  felt  a  hereditary  antipathy  to  the  people  of 
Israel ;  bat,  engrossed  with  his  own  affairs,  he 
had  no  leisure  to  think  of  the  hated  race,  who 
might,  at  least  for  a  time,  have  escaped  his  re- 
sentment, had  it  not  been  provoked  by  an  af- 
front which  he  received  from  one  of  their  num- 
ber. Mordecai,  who  seems  to  have  discovered 
the  worthlessness  of  his  character,  withheld 
those  marks  of  obeisance  which  were  lavishly 
bestowed  on  the  favourite  by  his  fellow-servants. 
The  knowledge  of  this  indignity  filled  Haman 
with  rage,  but  he  thought  scorn  to  lay  hands  on 
Mordecai  alone,  and  having  learned  that  the 
presumptuous  individual  was  a  Jew,  religious 
rancour  united  with  wounded  pride  in  deter- 
mining him  to  seek  the  destruction  of  the 
whole  nation.  By  malicious  misreprcsf nta- 
tion,  and  under  the  pretext  of  great  liberality 
and  regard  for  the  welfare  of  the  monarchy,  he 
obtained  his  wish  from  a  prince,  facile  in  his 
temper  and  devoted  to  pleasure.  The  bloody 
decree  is  issued,  and  the  whole  city  of  Shushan, 


FEELINGS  UNDER  AFFLICTION.  95 

the  capital  in  which  it  was  first  promulgated,  is 
thrown  into  perplexity  and  alarm. 

If  such  was  the  impression  produced  upon  the 
inhabitants  at  large  by  this  proclamation,  we 
may  judge  what  must  have  been  the  feelings  of 
the  unhappy  devoted  Jews.  We  are  told  in 
this  chapter  generally,  that  wherever  it  went  it 
spread  dismay,  and  was  the  signal  of  a  general 
mourning.  '' And  in  every  province,  ivkiihej'- 
soever  the  king' s  commandment  and  his  decree 
came,  there  was  great  mourning  among  the 
Jews,  and  fasting,  and  weeping,  and  wailing  ; 
and  many  lay  in  sackcloth  and  ashes."  But  as 
you  all  know  that  general  descriptions  convey 
a  very  imperfect  idea  of  distress,  the  Sprit  of 
God  has  depicted,  in  very  lively  colours,  the 
mental  anguish  of  two  individuals  who  were 
deeply  involved  in  the  threatened  catastrophe — 
Mordecai  and  his  royal  relative. 

Different  persons  may  be  very  differently  af- 
fected under  distress,  and  yet  all  of  them  may 
be  under  the  influence  of  pious  and  becoming 
feelings.  The  manner  in  which  persons  ex- 
press their  grief  depends  greatly  on  constitu- 


96  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

tional  temperament.  Martha,  as  soon  as  she 
heard  that  Jesus  had  reached  Bethany,  ran  to 
meet  him,  and  poured  her  sorrows  into  his 
bosom  ;  but  Mary,  though  her  grief  for  her  de- 
ceased brother,  and  love  to  the  Saviour,  were 
not  inferior  to  her  sister's,  "sat  still  in  the 
house."  Before  judging  of  the  degree  in  which 
it  is  becoming  to  indulge  or  testify  grief,  it  is 
also  necessary  to  attend  to  the  circumstances  in 
which  persons  are  placed,  and  the  aggravations 
of  trouble  wdiich  these  produce,  Daniel  and 
his  three  young  countrymen  were  at  different 
times  the  victims  of  a  tyrannical  edict,  subject- 
ing them  to  a  dreadful  death,  yet  w^e  find  them 
tittering  no  lamentations,  and  exhibiting  none  of 
the  usual  symptoms  of  distress.  They  were 
required  to  give  their  lives  as  a  testimony  of 
their  allegiance  to  the  true  God,  and  they  were 
willing  to  do  it — they  counted  it  all  joy  to  suf- 
fer in  such  a  cause.  What  was  required  of 
them  was  constancy  and  intrepidity,  and  these 
virtues  would  have  been  dishonoured  by  tears 
and  outward  badges  of  sorrow.  The  three 
children  stood  undaunted  before  the  enraged 


97 

monarch  and  the  devouring  furnace.  When 
Daniel  knew  the  writing  was  signed,  prohibit- 
ing prayer  for  thirty  days,  "  he  went  into  his 
house ;  and  his  windows  being  open  in  his 
chamber  toward  Jerusalem,  he  kneeled  upon 
his  knees  three  times  a  day,  and  prayed,  and 
gave  thanks  before  his  God,  as  he  did  afore- 
time." Mordecai  was  placed  in  very  different 
circumstances. 

Theirs  was  a  personal  affliction :  his  was  the 
affliction  of  Joseph — of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel. 
And,  therefore,  like  the  same  Daniel,  when  he 
thought  of  the  desolations  of  Jerusalem,  he  "set 
his  face  to  seek  the  Lord,  with  fasting,  and 
sackcloth,  and  ashes."  Could  Mordecai  have 
been  permitted  to  redeem  his  countrymen  from 
the  avenging  sword,  he  would  have  rejoiced  in 
"  offering  himself  upon  the  sacrifice  of  their 
faith,"  and  have  gone  to  the  scaffold,  or  the  fur- 
nace, or  the  lions'  den,  clothed  in  white,  with 
garlands  bound  round  his  temples,  and  with  the 
song  of  triumph  in  his  mouth.  But  he  knew 
that  his  enemy  would  have  refused  this  as  a 
kindness  and  a  precious  oil,"  which,  instead  of 
9 


98  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

breaking  his  head,  would  have  refreshed  and 
exhilarated  his  wounded  spirit.  His  grief  was, 
that  not  only  he,  but  his  people  were  sold — ir- 
redeemably sold  "  to  be  destroyed,  to  be  slain, 
and  to  perish." 

But,  besides,  Mordecai  had  to  reflect  that  he 
had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  tTiis  cala- 
mity upon  his  people,  by  refusing  the  honours 
claimed  by  Haman.  This  could  not  fail  to  give 
him  pain,  and  to  aggravate  the  evil  which  he 
deplored.  Not  that  he  repented  of  what  he  had 
done,  for  we  find  him  afterwards  persisting  in 
the  same  line  of  conduct,  and  refusing  to  pro- 
pitiate the  haughty  favourite  by  giving  him  the 
marks  of  reverence.  We  may  innocently,  or 
in  the  discharge  of  what  we  owe  to  God,  do  what 
may  be  the  means  of  injuring  both  ourselves  and 
others  whom  we  love.  It  does  not  follow  from 
this  that  we  ought  to  have  acted  otherwise. 
But  still  it  is  a  painful  reflection.  Jeremiah 
would  not  have  retracted  or  eaten  in  any  of  the 
biting  censures  or  threatenings  which  he  had 
uttered  in  the  name  of  God,  but  he  felt  and 
complained  of  the  odium  which  he  had  neces- 


MORDECAl's    DISTRESS.  99 

sarily  incurred :  "  Wo  is  me,  my  mother,  that 
thou  hast  borne  me  a  man  of  strife  and  a  man  of 
contention  to  the  whole  earth !  I  have  neither 
lent  on  usury,  nor  men  have  lent  to  me  on 
usury,  yet  every  one  of  them  doth  curse  me. 
The  Israelites  complained  that  Moses  had 
"  made  their  savour  to  be  abhorred  in  the  eyes 
of  Pharaoh,  and  in  the  eyes  of  his  servants,  to 
put  a  sword  in  their  hands  to  slay  them." 
And  Moses  himself  complained,  "  Lord,  where- 
fore hast  thou  so  evil  entreated  this  people? 
Why  is  it  that  thou  hast  sent  me  ?  For  since 
I  came  to  Pharaoh,  to  speak  in  thy  name,  he 
hath  done  evil  to  this  people ;  neither  hast  thou 
delivered  thy  people  at  all."  It  was  a  great 
trial  to  the  faith  of  Abraham,  that  he  should  be 
employed  as  the  priest  to  sacrifice  his  own  son  ; 
and  it  was  a  great  addition  to  the  affliction  of 
Mordecai  that  the  Jews  w^ere  to  be  sacrificed  in 
consequence  of  his  having  incurred  the  hatred 
of  a  wicked  but  powerful  individual.  This  also 
accounts  for  his  grief  being  more  poignant  than 
that  of  Esther. 

The  tidings  of  the  decree,  and  the  manner  in 


100  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

which  it  had  been  procured,  threw  him  into  a 
paroxysm  of  grief.  He  rent  his  garments,  not 
merely  in  conformity  to  the  manners  of  the  age, 
but  as  expressive  of  inward  agony  ;  and  he  went 
out  and  filled  the  streets  with  his  wailings,  not 
to  excite  commisseration,  or  to  bring  the  matter 
to  the  ears  of  Esther,  but  like  a  man  who  was 
for  the  time  beside  himself,  and  who  knew  not 
and  cared  not  what  construction  was  put  upon 
his  conduct.  What  although  a  crowd  collected 
around  him,  and  pointing  at  him,  said,  "  See  a 
poor  maniac !"  or,  "  There  is  a  distracted  Jew !" 
He  pursued  his  course,  "  crying  with  a  loud, 
and  bitter  cry,"  "  O  that  my  head  were  waters, 
and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might 
weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughter 
of  my  people !"'  And  Mordecai  would  have 
entered  the  palace  with  his  weeds  of  wo,  and 
filled  its  galleries  with  his  lamentations,  had  he 
not  been  stopt  at  the  gate  by  the  servants,  who 
reminded  him  that  his  entrance  in  such  attire 
was  against  the  law.  This  reminiscence  brought 
him  to  himself,  and  he  became  calm  and  collect- 
ed, like  the  Apostle  who,  when  reminded  that 


MORDECAl's    DISTRESS.  101 

he  stood  before  the  High  Priest,  apologized  for 
the  terms  in  which  he  had  inadvertently  ad- 
dressed him :  "  I  wist  not,  brethren,  that  he  w^as 
the  High  Priest ;  for  it  is  written.  Thou  shalt 
not  speak  evil  of  the  ruler  of  thy  people." 
"  Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man 
for  the  Lord's  sake."  ,  And  a  very  foolish  or- 
dinance it  was.  "  None  might  enter  into  the 
king' s  gate  clothed  luith  sackclothP  O,  no ! 
that  would  have  thrown  a  damp  over  the  mer- 
riment and  festivities  that  reigned  within — it 
would  have  excited  unpleasant  anticipations, 
and  induced  the  thoughts  of  that  event  of  which 
the  prosperous  wicked  resolve  never  to  think 
until  they  are  incapable  of  thought.  "  They 
that  are  clothed  in  soft  raiment  are  in  king's 
courts ;"  and  the  only  sound  that  is  welcome 
there  is,  "  O  king,  live  for  ever."  Out  of  the 
king's  gate  had  lately  passed  orders  which  had 
thrown  the  capital  into  perplexity,  spread  dis- 
may through  the  empire,  and  made  many  lie  in 
sackcloth  and  ashes;  but  they  must  not  be 
allowed  to  reflect  their  shadowSj  to  disturb  the 
9* 


102  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

gaieties  which   they  left  behind,  or  to  which 
they  gave  occasion ! 

But  think  not,  my  brethren,  that  the  folly 
which  I  am  exposing  is  confined  to  palaces  and 
mansions  of  the  great.  There  are  many  others 
the  law  of  whose  house  is,  that  none  enter  their 
gates  clothed  in  sackcloth — even  all  those  who 
spend  their  days  in  worldly  pleasure,  exclude 
the  fearers  of  C4od  from  their  society,  and  flee 
from  every  thing  serious  as  from  the  pestilence. 
'' None  may  enter  into  the  king's  gate  clothed 
with  sackcloth  T'  And  is  Death  included  in 
this  prohibition  ?  Have  you  given  orders  to 
your  porters  and  guards  to  stop  this  visiter  at 
the  gate,  and  to  say  to  him, — "  Hitherto  shalt 
thou  come,  but  no  farther?"  Or  will  they  be 
able  to  persuade  him,  and  his  train  of  ghastly 
attendants,  gout,  fever,  consumption,  and  other 
diseases,  to  lay  aside  their  sable  dress,  together 
with  their  darts,  and  spears,  and  scorpions? 
"  Wo  unto  them  that  put  far  away  the  evil  day, 
and  cause  the  seat  of  violence  to  come  near ; 
that  lie  upon  beds  of  ivory,  and  stretch  them- 
selves upon  their  couches,  and  eat  the  lambs 


PERPLEXITY    OF    ESTHER.        103 

out  of  the  flock,  and  the  calves  out  of  the  midst 
of  the  stall ;  that  drink  wine  in  bowls,  and 
anoint  themselves  with  the  chief  ointments ; 
but  they  are  not  grieved  for  the  affliction  of 
Joseph." 

But  there  was  one  individual  in  the  palace, 
its  defence  as  well  as  its  ornament,  whose  ear 
was  open  to  ihe  cry  of  sacred  misery,  who  had 
been  reared  under  Adversity,  and  had  not  forgot- 
ten her  stern  nurse,  in  consequence  of  advance- 
ment. Being,  by  her  servants,  informed  of  the 
appearance  of  Mordecai,  Esther  was  "  exceed- 
ingly grievedJ^  How  could  she  be  otherwise 
affected  at  hearing  of  the  distress  of  one  who  had 
been  more  than  a  parent  to  her,  and  who,  after 
contributing  to  her  exahation,  had  refused  to 
permit  her  to  solicit  a  single  favour  for  himself? 
She,  therefore,  sent  some  of  her  attendants,  with 
{suitable  attire,  to  Mordecai,  requesting  him  to 
lay  aside  his  mourning  habit.  On  any  ordinary 
occasion,  this  expression  of  sympathy  on  the 
part  of  his  royal  daughter  would  have  banished 
his  sorrow,  and  induced  him  to  assume  at  least 
the  semblance  and  garb  of  joy ;  but  the  cause 


104  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

of  his  distress  lay  too  deep  to  admit  either  of 
mitig-atioii  or  concealment.  He  refused  to  be 
comforted,  and  returned  the  raiment  which  she 
had  sent.  Alarmed  at  this  report,  the  queen  de- 
spatched Hatach,  the  principal  servant  of  her 
household,  with  orders  to  bring  her  a  true  and 
full  account  of  the  causes  of  this  strange  affair. 
Mordecai  imparted  to  this  confidential  messenger 
all  the  facts  of  the  case,  gave  him  a  copy  of  the 
decree  as  proclaimed  at  Susa,  and  instructed  him 
to  charge  Esther,  in  his  name,  to  go  in  to  the 
king  and  make  supplication  for  her  people. 
Mordecai  had  hitherto  charged  her  not  to  make 
known  her  people,  any  more  than  the  relation 
in  which  she  stood  to  him  ;  but  now  he  not  only 
takes  off  the  inhibition  which  he  had  laid  on 
her,  but  substitutes  a  charge  of  a  directly  oppo- 
site kind. 

The  excellency  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the 
wisdom  of  their  Divine  Author,  are  to  be  seen 
in  what  they  conceal  and  keep  back,  as  well  as 
in  what  they  reveal  and  bring  forward.  Any 
other  writer  would  have  entertained  us  with  a 
imnute  account  of  the  effect  which  the^e  over- 


PERPLEXITY    OF     ESTHEfl.        105 

whelming  tidings  produced  on  the  queen — 
would  have  described  her  as  swooning  in  the 
arms  of  her  maidens,  and  told  us  what  she  said 
on  recovering  her  senses,  and  awakening  to  the 
awful  reality.  The  inspired  historian  is  silent 
on  this  subject,  satisfied  that  we  have  a  general 
idea  of  her  feelings,  sufficiently  correct,  from 
what  we  know  of  her  character,  and  the  descrip- 
tion given  of  Mordecai's  distress. 

Nor  is  there  less  of  the  truth  of  nature  in 
what  the  narrative  discloses.  Women  are  or- 
dinarily inferior  to  men  in  constitutional  cou- 
rage; and  though,  when  once  resolved,  they 
often  display  more  constancy  and  firmness  than 
the  other  sex,  yet  their  timidity  leads  them  to 
foresee  difficulties  and  magnify  dangers;  a  wise 
provision,  which  disposes  them  to  receive  ad- 
vice, at  the  same  time  that  they  minister  cau- 
tion. The  queen  according^  sent  to  Morde- 
cai,  by  the  same  trusty  messenger,  an  exact 
representation  of  her  situation,  and  the  circum- 
stances which  rendered  his  proposal  not  only 
perilous  to  herself,  but  almost  hopeless  in  point 
of  success.     She  reminded  him  of  the  law  ma- 


106  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

king  it  death  for  any  person,  man,  or  woman, 
without  exception,  who  should  go  uncalled  into 
the  inner  court,  with  the  view  of  presenting  a 
petition  to  the  throne,  unless  the  king,  by  way 
of  peculiar  grace,  should  stretch  out  the  golden 
sceptre  as  a  token  of  pardon  for  the  intrusion. 
Esther  speaks  of  it  as  well  known,  and  indeed 
it  has  been  recorded  by  Herodotus,  the  Greek 
historian,  as  a  law  in  Persia  during  the  reign 
of  Xerxes.  The  law  was  in  every  point  of 
view  preposterous.  It  did  not  provide  for  the 
safety  of  the  royal  person,  as  an  assassin  could 
have  broken  through  the  restriction  without 
ceremony.  It  proceeded  from  pride,  which 
induced  Eastern  monarchs  to  shut  themselves 
up,  that,  being  seen  only  on  great  occasions, 
they  might  be  adored  by  their  subjects  as  a  spe- 
cies of  divinities.  They  sought  to  be  dreaded, 
not  loved,  by  those  over  whom  they  reigned. 
By  this  means  their  palaces  were  converted 
into  royal  prisons,  and  they  became  at  once  a 
burden  to  themselves,  and  a  terror  to  others. 
Their  subjects  had  no  access  to  them  to  lay  their 
petitions  before  them,  and  would  rather  submit 


PERPLEXITY     OF     ESTHER.        107 

to  the  extortion  pf  inferior  officers  than  apply- 
to  their  sovereign,  at  the  risk  of  losing  their 
lives.  To  crown  the  absurdity,  their  v^rives 
were  not  exempted  from  the  penalty  of  the  un- 
righteous statute ;  and  the  same  monarch  who 
had  divorced  one  queen  for  not  coming  into  his 
presence  at  his  bidding,  might  have  taken 
away  the  life  of  another  for  approaching  him 
without  a  previous  call. 

But  besides  this,  there  was  another  great  dis- 
couragement in  the  way  of  Esther.  "  I  have 
not  been  called  to  come  in  unto  the  king  these 
thirty  days."  She  was  at  that  time  under  a 
cloud,  and  discourted,  had  reason  to  fear  that 
some  one  had  done  her  an  ill  turn  with  the 
king,  or  that  he  had  lost  his  affection  for  her, 
if  not  transferred  it  to  another.  Thus  it  is  that 
Providence  sometimes  frowns  on  the  cause  of 
his  church  and  people,  by  not  only  exposing 
them  to  imminent  danger,  but  by  shutting  up 
all  the  ordinary  avenues  of  escape,  so  that  there 
appears  no  evasion  for  them.  This  proves  a 
severe  trial  to  their  faith,  but  affords  an  oppor- 


108         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

tunity  for   displaying    his    own   wisdom   and 
mercy  in  their  uUimate  deliverance. 

How  happy  is  it  for  us,  brethren,  that  we 
live  not  under  an  absolute  but  a  limited  mon- 
archy !  And,  more  particularly,  how  thankful 
should  we  be  that  we  are  under  the  govern- 
ment of  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords  ! 
that  we  have  access  at  all  times  to  a  throne  of 
grace, — that  we  are  invited  to  come  boldly  to 
this  throne,  even  into  the  inner  court  the  holiest 
of  al],  by  the  blood  of  Christ, — that  not  the 
innocent  only,  but  the  guilty  enjoy  this  privi- 
lege, and  that  "  we  have  an  advocate  with  the 
Father,  even  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous." 


109 


LECTURE    SEVENTH. 

ESTHKR  IV.  13—17. 

Then  Mordecai  commanded  to  answer  Esther,  Think  not 
icith  thyself  that  thou  shalt  escape  in  the  king's  house,  more 
than  all  the  Jews.  For  if  thou  altogether  holdest  thy  peace 
at  this  time,  then  shall  there  enlargement  and  deliverance 
arise  to  the  Jews  from  another  place ;  hut  thou  and  thy 
father  s  house  shall  be  destroyed :  and  loho  knoweth  whe- 
ther thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this  ? 
Then  Esther  bade  them  return  Mordecai  this  answer,  Go, 
gather  together  all  the  Jews  that  are  present  in  Shushan, 
and  fad  ye  for  me,  and  neither  eat  nor  drink  three  days, 
night  or  day :  I  also  and  my  maidens  icillfast  likewise; 
and  so  will  I  go  in  unto  tlie  king,  which  is  not  according 
to  the  law  :  and  if  I  perish,  I  perish.  So  Mordecai  went 
his  way,  and  did  according  to  all  that  Esther  had  com- 
manded him. 

In  our  last  Lecture  we  saw  the  agony  of  dis- 
tress into  which  Mordecai  was  thrown  by  the 
edict  procured  by  Hainan  for  exterminating  the 
Jews,  and  the  call  which  he  made  on  Esther  to 
10 


110  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

go  in  to  the  king,  and  make  supplication  in  be- 
half of  her  people.  The  queen  did  not  abso- 
lutely refuse  to  comply  with  the  injunction  of 
her  foster-parent,  but  she  sent  him  a  represen- 
tation of  the  obstacles  to  her  success,  and  of  the 
risk  she  would  incur  by  making  the  attempt. 
She  reminded  him  of  the  law  denouncing  death 
to  all  without  exception  who  presumed  to  enter 
the  inner  court  uncalled,  unless  the  monarch, 
by  way  of  peculiar  grace,  stretched  out  the 
golden  sceptre  in  token  of  pardon  for  the  bold 
intrusion ;  and  she  added,  that  she  had  not  had 
an  invitation  to  visit  her  husband  for  the  last 
thirty  days,  a  strong  presumption  that  his  affec- 
tions were  cooled  towards  her,  if  not  transferred 
to  another. 

It  was  impossible  to  deny  the  force  of  the 
reasons  urged  by  Esther,  either  as  to  the  per- 
sonal danger  to  which  she  was  exposed  in  ven- 
turing into  the  royal  presence,  or  the  improba- 
bility of  her  succeeding  in  an  application  for 
the  reversal  of  a  law  of  the  Medes  and  Per- 
sians, procured  by  the  ascendant  influence  of 
the  favourite.     Had  Mordecai  been  a  person  of 


TRUE     PATRIOTISM.  HI 

ordinary  spirit,  or  had  he  been  actuated  by  or- 
dinary principles,  he  would  have  ceased  from 
importuning  the  queen  farther,  and  resigned 
himself  and  his  countrymen  to  their  fate,  or  to 
the  immediate  and  miraculous  interposition  of 
heaven. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  character  of 
Mordecai  was  fully  developed.  He  loved  Est- 
her as  his  own  daughter.  His  affection  for  her 
was  of  the  most  disinterested  kind.  It  was 
enough  for  him  that  she  was  honoured  and 
happy.  He  had  not  sought— he  had  refused 
to  reap  any  of  the  fruits  of  her  elevation.  Lest 
she  should  be  subjected  to  danger  or  odium  on 
his  account,  he  had  commanded  her  to  conceal 
the  connexion  and  relationship  which  subsisted 
between  them.  He  had  even  charged  her 
not  to  reveal  the  nation  to  which  she  belonged. 
But  no  sooner  is  that  nation — the  peculiar  peo- 
ple of  Jehovah— in  danger  of  being  cut  off  and 
exterminated,  than  he  yields  himself  to  another 
influence,  which  leads  him  to  act  in  a  way  the 
very  opposite  to  that  which  he  had  hitherto 
pursued.     That  daughter  for  whom  he  would 


112  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

willingly  have  laid  down  his  own  life,  he  is 
now  equally  willing  to  sacrifice  for  the  life  of 
his  people:  and  he  presses  her  to  avow  herself 
a  member  of  that  devoted  nation,  with  more 
intense  importunity  than  he  had  urged  her  to 
conceal  the  fact,  when  the  avowal  would  have 
been  harmless  to  her  and  honourable  to  him- 
self The  flame  which  burned  in  his  breast 
burst  asunder  and  consumed  those  ties  which 
he  had  most  industriously  entwined  round  his 
affections  ;  and  the  cry  of  his  country's  misery 
drowned  every  other  voice  in  his  ears.  "  If  I 
forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning.  If  I  do  not  remember 
thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my 
mouth,  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  to  my  chief 
joy."  This  is  true  patriotism — sacred  patriot- 
ism, devotion  to  God  and  the  people  of  God. 
And  is  not  this  a  Christian  feeling,  and  as  suit- 
able to  the  new  as  to  the  old  economy?  Listen 
to  the  "Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith:" 
"  If  any  man  come  to  me,  and  hate  not  his  father 
and  mother,  and  wife  and  children,  and  brethren 
and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot 
be  my  disciple." 


MORDECAl's     ARGUMENTS.        113 

Having  taking  his  resolution,  observe,  in  the 
message  which  he  sent  to  Esther,  with  what 
holy  art  and  ingenuity,  as  well  as  ardour,  he 
labours  to  persuade  her  to  put  her  life  in  her 
hand,  and  appeal  to  the  mercy  of  the  king. 

But  before  dilating  upon  this,  let  us  briefly 
advert  to  the  arguments  which  Mordecai  does 
not  employ.  We  might  have  expected  him  to 
address  Esther  in  such  language  as  this: 
*'  Think  of  the  uniform  kindness  with  which  I 
have  treated  you.  When  your  father  and 
mother  had  left  you  a  helpless  orphan,  I  took 
you  up,  adopted  you  as  my  child,  w^atched  over 
your  tender  age — fed  you,  clothed  you,  caressed 
you,  dandled  you  upon  my  knees,  kept  you  as 
the  apple  of  mine  eye.  1  informed  your  open- 
ing mind,  and  taught  you  the  knowledge  of  the 
true  God,  the  God  of  your  fathers ;  nor  did  I 
rest  until  I  had  procured  ^^our  advancement  to 
the  honourable  place  which  you  now  occupy. 
I  therefore  adjure  you  by  all  the  favours  and  at- 
tentions you  have  received,  and  as  you  would  not 
prove  yourself  an  in  grate,  to  comply  with  this 
my  highest  w^ish."  Mordecai  did  not  use  such 
10* 


114  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

arguments  as  these,  he  makes  no  allusion  to  any- 
thing that  personally  concerned  himself;  they 
were  below  the  sacred  cause  for  which  he  plead- 
ed, and  they  were  too  weak  to  produce  the  effect 
which  he  had  in  view.  In  a  mind  like  that  of 
Esther,  they  would  have  prompted  a  generous 
resolution  to  testify  her  love  and  gratitude  to 
her  benefactor  by  the  sacrifice  of  her  life,  but 
they  could  not  have  produced  that  holy  heroism 
which  it  was  Mordecai's  object  to  inspire,  and 
which  was  necessary  to  carry  her  through  in 
this  difficult  enterprise,  by  taking  and  executing 
her  measures  calmly,  coolly,  cautiously,  and 
yet  with  all  that  resolution  and  courage  which 
spring  from  reliance  on  heaven's  aid  in  heaven's 
cause. 

The  first  consideration  which  he  urges,  rela- 
ting to  her  own  hopes  of  escaping  the  calamity 
which  impended  over  her  countrymen,  may  ap- 
pear at  the  first  view  to  be  of  the  same  descrip- 
tion with  those  just  referred  to.  It  is,  however, 
of  great  importance  in  the  case.  False  hopes 
of  safety  are  one  fruitful  source  of  delusion,  by 
making  persons  careless  or  averse  to  use  means 


HIS     FIRST     ARGUMENT.  115 

for  their  own  escape,  or  the  deliverance  of 
others,  from  danger,  temporal  or  eternal.  They 
must,  therefore,  be  disabused  and  undeceived  ; 
the  veil  of  covering  which  is  spread  over  their 
minds  must  be  torn  off,  and  they  must  be  shown 
their  real  state,  and  their  impending  danger  in 
all  its  nakedness  and  nearness.  We  never  will 
persuade  sinners  to  flee  to  the  refuge  opened 
for  them,  if  we  do  not  convince  them  that  wrath 
is  coming  upon  them.  "  Save  yourselves  from 
this  untoward  generation."  Think  not  with 
yourselves  that  you  shall  escape  their  doom, 
however  sober,  and  decent,  and  moral  you  may 
be,  compared  with  some  of  them.  While  pro- 
fligacy destroys  its  thousands,  fal-je  peace  and 
lying  confidences  destroy  their  ten  thousands. 
"  We  have  made  a  covenant  with  death,  and 
with  hell  are  we  at  agreement;  when  the  over- 
flowing scourge  shall  pass  through,  it  shall  not 
come  unto  us."  To  such  persons  it  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  say,  "Behold  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a 
foundation,  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a  precious 
corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation:  he  that  be- 
lieveth  shall  not  make  haste."     We  must  add, 


116  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

"  Your  covenant  with  death  shall  be  disan- 
nulled, and  your  agreement  with  hell  shall  not 
stand;  when  the  overflowing  scourge  shall 
pass  through,  then  shall  ye  be  trodden  dow^n 
by  it." 

It  w^as  not  unnatural  for  Esther  to  flatter 
herself  that  she  would  escape  in  the  general 
massacre  of  her  countrymen.  The  fact  of  her 
being  of  Jewish  extraction  w^as  a  secret ;  and 
supposing  the  enemy  of  her  people  should  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  it,  he  would  not  dare  to 
bring  the  devouring  sword  into  the  palace,  or 
turn  it  against  the  wife  of  the  monarch.  "  Then 
Murdecai  commanded  to  answer  Esther,  Think 
7iot  iviih  thyself  that  thou  shali  escape  in  the 
Icing's  house,  more  than  all  the  JewsP  Flatter 
not  thyself  with  the  delusive  hope  that  the  pa- 
lace will  be  a  sanctuary,  or  the  crown  a  defence 
to  thee.  The  edict  is  universal  and  unlimited 
to  destroy,  kill,  and  cause  to  perish  all  Jews — 
little  children  and  women  ;  and  it  has  no  saving 
clause  in  it,  providing  for  the  exercise  of  the 
royal  clemency  by  stretching  out  the  golden 
sceptre.     The  discovery   of  thy  descent   will 


HIS     SECOND     ARGUMENT.        Il7 

whet  the  ingenuity  of  our  inveterate  enemy,  to 
whom  it  will  be  the  luxury  of  revenge  to  taste 
of  royal  blood.  And  think  not  with  thyself, 
that  this  will  not  come  to  light  when  the  fiends 
of  destruction  shall  be  let  loose,  and  when,  in 
the  extremity  of  the  destruction,  "  The  brother 
shall  deliver  up  the  brother  to  death,  and  the 
father  the  child."  But  though  I,  and  your 
maidens,  and  your  chamberlain  should  be  silent 
as  the  grave,  thou  wilt  become  informer  against 
thyself;  thy  fears,  and  the  anguish  that  will 
seize  thee  at  the  hearing  of  thy  brethren  "  killed 
all  the  day  long,"  and  "counted  as  sheep  for  the 
slaughter,"  will  bewray  thee. 

But  if  this  does  not  move  thee,  if  thou  art 
still  spell-bound  by  thy  slavish  fears,  there  is 
another  consideration  which  demands  thy  atten- 
tion. Thy  destruction  is  involved  in  that  of  the 
Jews;  but  their's  is  not  necessarily  involved  in 
thine.  Know  that  ''if  thou  altogether  holdest 
thy  peace  at  this  time,  then  shall  there  enlarge- 
ment and  deliverance  arise  to  the  Jeivs  from 
another  place ;  but  thou  and  thy  father's  house 
shall  be  destroyed.'^     Here  is  a  word  "  sharpel 


118  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the 
dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit."  Here  is  a 
word  which  serves  at  once  for  a  fire  and  a  ham- 
mer ;  a  fire  to  melt  the  hard  heart  into  obedience, 
or,  if  it  prove  refractory,  a  hammer  to  break  it 
in  pieces. 

"  There  shall  enlargement  and  deliverance 
arise  to  the  Jews  from  another  place."  O  the 
power  of  faith !  What  has  it  not  done  7  what 
can  it  not  do  ?  It  is  "  the  substance  of  things 
hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen,"  It 
lifts  the  person  above  the  level  of  his  own  mind. 
It  can  not  only  see  abundance  of  rain  in  a  cloud 
no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,  but  it  can  prophesy 
of  it,  when  the  heavens  above  are  as  burnished 
brass.  The  faith  of  God's  elect  has  removed 
mountains— not  literally — but  mountains  of  dif- 
ficulties, and  mountains  of  guilt  lying  on  the 
conscience,  and  cast  them  into  the  sea;  dissi- 
pated clouds — not  the  visible  clouds — but  clouds 
of  despair  which  oppress  the  soul ;  and  dried  up 
fountains — not  the  fountains  of  the  deep — but 
the  fountains  of  tears  in  the  heart,  which  flowed 
day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of 


FOUNDATION     OF     FAITH.         119 

Zion  !  Witness  its  effects  upon  Mordecai.  How 
changed  is  he  from  the  figure  in  which  we  saw 
him  lately.  He  has  shaken  the  dust  from  his 
head,  his  filthy  garments  he  has  exchanged  for 
raiment  far  surpassing  that  which  the  queen  had 
sent  him ;  and  the  wailings  with  which  he  filled 
the  streets  of  Shushan  have  been  converted  into 
strains  of  hope  and  triumph.  It  is  faith — reco- 
vered faith — which  has  set  his  feet  upon  a  rock, 
and  placed  him  in  a  pavilion,  from  the  top  of 
which  he  looks  down  with  derision  on  the  malice 
and  power  and  expectation  of  his  enemy,  and 
with  compassion  on  his  timid,  distracted  daugh- 
ter, whom  he  alternately  chides  and  comforts. 

But  what  is  this  faith  which  produces  such 
astonishing  effects?  Is  it  just  strong  confidence, 
or  a  persuasion  that  what  we  believe  will  take 
place  ?  It  has  a  more  solid  foundation  than  this. 
There  is  confidence  in  it,  sometimes  rising  to 
full  assurance,  but  the  word  of  the  immutable 
God  is  the  base  on  which  the  pillar  of  faith 
rests — confidence,  the  spiral  top  with  which  it 
seeks  the  skies.  On  what,  then,  did  the  faith  of 
Mordecai  rest  ?  On  the  promises  of  God,  who 


120  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

"  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  lie,  neither  the  son 
of  man  that  he  should  repent:  hath  he  said  and 
shall  he  not  do  it  ?  or  hath  he  spoken,  and  shall 
he  not  make  it  good?"  Some  of  these  were 
general,  securing  the  preservation  of  the  seed  of 
Jacob.  I  will  "  make  a  full  end  of  all  nations, 
whither  I  have  gathered  thee,  yet  will  I  not 
make  a  full  end  of  thee."  "  Saving  that  I  will 
not  utterly  destroy  the  house  of  Jacob."  "  If 
those  ordinances  (of  day  and  niglit)  depart  from 
before  me,  saith  the  Lord,  then  the  seed  of  Israel 
also  shall  cease  from  being  a  nation  before  me 
for  ever."  Other  promises  referred  more  parti- 
cularly to  the  period  succeeding  the  captivity, 
when  he  promised  great  prosperity  to  his  people, 
"  After  the  glory  hath  he  sent  me  to  the  nations 
which  spoiled  you,  for  he  that  toucheth  you 
toucheth  the  apple  of  his  eye.  For  behold  I  will 
shake  mine  hand  upon  them,  and  they  shall  be 
a  spoil  to  their  servants ;  and  ye  shall  know 
that  the  Lord  of  Hosts  hath  sent  me."  Appear- 
ances were  indeed  unfavourable  and  gloomy. 
The  hand  of  the  adversary  was  high;  the  dan-' 
ger  was  imminent,  and  there  was  no  visible 


ACTIVITY     OF     FAITH.  121 

prospect  of  relief.  The  judgment  of  sense  and 
worldly  reason  was,  "  our  hope  is  lost,  we  are 
cut  off  for  our  parts."  But  faith  looks  beyond 
appearances,  and  thus  Mordecai  "  against  hope, 
believed  in  hope;"  and  believing,  he  spake, 
"  There  shall  enlargement  and  deliverance  arise 
to  the  JeiDS.^^ 

Wherever  there  is  a  true  faith  of  this  kind, 
it  will  not  only  establish  the  heart,  but  stir  up 
to  the  use  of  all  due  means,  according  to  our 
station  and  opportunity,  for  obtaining  salvation. 
If  we  refuse  this,  we  have  no  faith,  or  our  faith 
is  vain,  and  we  shall  be  excluded  from  a  share 
in  the  blessing.  "By  faith  Noah,  being  Vv^arn- 
ed  of  God  of  things  not  seen  as  yet,  moved 
with  fear,  prepared  an  ark  to  the  saving  of  his 
house."  The  Israelites  that  came  out  of  Egypt 
disbelieved  God's  word,  and  refused  to  go  into 
Canaan  at  his  command,  and  therefore  their 
carcasses  fell  in  the  wilderness;  while  their 
children,  whom  they  said  should  be  a  prey, 
came  in  and  possessed  the  land.  The  noble- 
man on  whose  hand  the  king  leaned,  having 
expressed  his  disbelief  of  Elisha's  word  in  pro- 
11 


1 22         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

pbesying-  plenty  to  the  besieged  in  Samaria, 
lived  not  to  see  tiie  blessing,  being  trodden  to 
death  in  the  crowd  of  famishing  citizens  who 
pressed  forward  to  obtain  a  share  of  the  Syrian 
spoils.  Of  this  Mordecai  warns  the  queen. 
"  If  thou  akogelher  boldest  thy  peace  at  this 
time,  then  thou  and  thy  father's  house  shall  be 
destroyed."  The  day  of  Israel's  deliverance 
shall  be  the  day  of  thy  destruction.  "  If  thou 
forbear  to  deliver  them  that  are  drawn  unto 
death,  and  those  that  are  ready  to  he  slain  ;  he 
that  keepeth  thy  soul,  doth  not  he  know  it?  and 
shall  not  he  render  to  every  man  according  to 
his  works?"  Thou  shalt  bring  destruction 
upon  thyself  and  me,  and  all  our  family,  which 
shall  become  a  hissing  and  execration  in  Israel. 
"He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he 
that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it." 

It  is  proper  to  awaken  the  fears  of  men,  and 
to  set  before  them  the  judgments  of  the  Al- 
mighty; even  good  men  need  to  be  reminded 
that  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  and  that  he 
loathes  lukewarmness,  and  selfishness,  and 
cowardice.     But  we  must  employ  higher  mo- 


CONCLUDING     A  R  G  U  31  E  N  T  .      123 

lives  for  the  conviction  of  sinners,  and  the  ani- 
mating of  saints  to  great  and  generous  under- 
takings ;  and  of  this  kind  is  the  concluding 
argument  in  Mordecai's  expostulation  with  the 
queen.  "But  I  am  persuaded  better  things  of 
you,  though  I  thus  speak."  My  dear  child, 
towards  whom  1  cherish  the  feelings  both  of  a 
natural  and  a  spiritual  father,  I  desire  to  change 
my  voice  ;  consider  what  I  say  : — "  Who  know- 
etii  whether  thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom  for 
such  a  time  as  this?''' 

"  Thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom^  to  a  crown, 
to  a  throne,  and  in  what  a  wonderful  manner  I 
Surely  it  becomes  you  to  say,  with  greater  rea- 
son than  David,  "  Who  am  I,  O  Lord  God, 
and  what  is  my  house,  that  thou  hast  brought 
me  hitherto?"  And  to  add,  with  the  same 
godly  king,  "  What  shall  I  render  unto  the 
Lord,  for  all  his  benefits  towards  me?"  Born 
a  captive,  early  left  an  orphan,  lately  the  repu- 
ted daughter  of  a  porter,  Providence  hath  rais- 
ed thee  beyond  all  men's  expectation,  and  of 
none  more  than  your  own,  to  be  the  second 
person  in  the  greatest  monarchy  of  the  world. 


124  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

Art  thou  not  then  bound  in  gratitude  to  do  this 
service  for  God  and  his  church  ?"  "  And  who 
knoweth  whether  ihou  art  come  to  the  kingdom 
for  such  a  time  as  this?"  It  is  possible;  it  is 
highly  probable.  The  singular  way  of  thy 
elevation,  and  the  striking  conjunction  of  cir- 
cumstances, point  to  this,  and  seem  to  say,  Be- 
cause the  Lord  loved  his  people,  therefore  he 
made  Esther  queen,  that  by  her  influence  with 
the  king  she  might  defeat  the  wicked  plot  for 
their  destruction.  The  very  probability  of  this 
was  a  strong  incitement  to  her  to  bestir  herself; 
for  if  God  had  destined  her  to  be  the  deliverer 
of  Israel,  then  he  Avould  be  with  her,  and  give 
success  to  her  exertions,  and  this  would  be  an 
honour  greater  than  the  matrimonial  crown  of 
Persia  ;  for  "  henceforth  all  generations  would 
call  her  blessed." 

The  event  showed  that  Mordecai  was  right 
in  his  conjecture,  and  that  he  had  correctly 
interpreted  the  ways  of  Providence,  i  There  is 
a  wise  counsel  and  design  in  all  the  works  of 
Him  who  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning.  It 
often  is  unknown  to  us  until  it  is  carried  into 


CONCLUDING  ARGUMENT.    125 

effect,  though  we  might  know  more  of  it  if  we 
were  more  diligent  students  of  Providence; 
and  the  issue  proves,  that  all  was  intended  for, 
and  conduces  to,  the  good  of  the  church.  We 
should  seek  to  be  "  workers  together  with 
God,"  and  carefully  consider  for  what  end  he 
hath  put  us  into  the  place  which  we  occupy. 
Have  any  rank,  or  authority,  or  talents,  or 
wealth,  or  friends?  These  are  the  gifts  of 
God,  and  must  be  used  for  his  glory.  When 
any  special  opportunity  of  serving  God  and  our 
generation  presents  itself,  we  should  beware  of 
letting  it  slip,  or  excusing  ourselves ;  for  an 
account  will  be  exacted  of  us,  and  exacted  with 
impartiality.  Of  them  to  whom  much  is  given 
much  shall  be  required.  Every  one  hath  it  in 
his  power  to  do  something.  "  What  knowest 
thou,  O  wife,  whether  thou  shalt  save  thy  hus- 
band? or  how  knowest  thou,  O  man,  whether 
thou  shalt  save  thy  wife  ?■'  And  we  should 
"provoke  one  another,"  by  our  example  and 
our  advice,  "to  love  and  to  good  works." 

With   another   remark    we  shall   conclude. 
When  God,  in  his  adorable  providence,  raises 
11* 


126  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

Up  some  great  individual,  through  whose  instru- 
mentality he  means  to  bring  about  a  great  de- 
liverance, he  generally  associates  him  with  an- 
other, of  a  kindred  spirit,  though  differently 
qualified,  to  be  a  fellow-worker  with  him  in  the 
same  cause.  Moses  was  joined  with  Aaron, 
Elijah  with  Elisha,  Joshua  with  Zerubabel, 
Ezra  with  Nehemiah,  Our  Lord  sent  out  his 
disciples  "  b}^  two  and  two ;"  and,  in  like  man- 
ner, Mordecai  and  Esther,  two  individuals  of 
different  qualifications,  sex,  and  station,  were 
associated  together  in  efTecting  the  deliverance 
Of  the  Jewish  nation.  By  this  arrangement,  in 
which  we  may  perceive  the  wisdom  of  God, 
provision  is  made  for  mutual  help,  counsel,  and 
encouragement ;  the  defects  of  the  one  instru- 
ment are  happily  counterbalanced  by  the  excel- 
lencies of  the  other;  truth  is  confirmed  by  their 
concurrent  testimony,  and  religion  is  promoted 
by  their  combined  exertions.  "  Two  is  better 
than  one,  and  a  threefold  cord  is  not  easily 
broken." 


127 


LECTURE    EIGHTH 


Esther   IV.    15— 17;   V.    1—8. 

Then  Esther  bade  them  return  Mordecai  this  ansicer,  Go, 
gather  together  all  the  Jeics  that  are  present  in  Shu- 
shan,  and  fast  ye  for  me,  and  neither  eat  nor  drink  three 
days,  night  or  day  :  I  also  and  my  maidens  tcillfast  like- 
wise ;  and  so  icill  I  go  in  unto  the  king,  ichich  is  not  ac- 
cording to  the  law  :  and  if  J  perish,  I  perish.  So  Morde- 
cai went  his  icay,  and  did  according  to  all  that  Esther 
lutd  commanded  him. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  that  Esther  put  on 
Jier  royal  apparel,  and  stood  in  the  inner  court  of  the 
king^s  house,  over  against  the  king^s  house:  and  the 
king  sat  upon  his  royal  throne  in  the  royal  house,  over 
against  the  gate  of  the  house.  And  it  was  so,  lofien  the 
king  saw  Esther  the  queen  standing  in  the  court,  that  she 
obtained  favour  in  his  sight :  and  the  king  held  out  to 
Esther  the  golden  sceptre  that  was  in  his  hand.  So 
Esther  drew  near,  and  touclied  the  top  of  the  sceptre. 
Then  said  the  king  unto  her.  What  wilt  thou,  Q^ueen 
Esther  ?  and  what  is  thy  request  ?  it  shall  be  even  given 


12S  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

tliee  to  the  half  of  the  kingdom.  And  Esther  ansirercd, 
If  it  seem  good  unto  the  king,  let  the  king  and  Human 
come  this  day  unto  the  banquet  that  I  have  prepared  for 
them.  Then  the  king  said,  Cause  Human  to  make 
haste,  that  he  may  do  as  Estlier  luith  said.  So  the  king 
and  Human  came  to  the  banquet  that  Esther  had  pre- 
pared. And  the  king  said  unto  Esther  at  the  banquet  of 
wine,  What  is  thy  petition  /  and  it  shall  he  granted  thee  : 
and  ichat  is  thy  request  ?  even  to  the  half  of  the  kingdom 
it  shall  he  performed.  Tlien  answered  Esther,  and  said, 
My  petition  and  my  request  is;  If  I  have  found  favour 
in  the  sight  of  the  king,  and  if  it  please  the  king  to 
grant  my  petition,  and  to  perform  my  request,  let  the 
king  and  Human  come  to  the  banquet  that  I  shall  pre- 
pare for  them,  and  I  tcill  do  to-morrow  as  the  king  hath 
said. 

We  have  considered  the  arguments  by  which 
Mordecai  endeavoured  to  persuade  his  royal 
daughter  to  put  her  life  in  jeopardy  for  her 
people,  by  venturing  into  the  king's  presence 
though  contrary  to  law,  and  entreating  his  pro- 
tection of  the  Jews  against  the  wicked  decree  of 
Haman.  He  warned  her  not  to  flatter  herself 
that  the  palace  or  the  crown  would  prove  a 
protection  to  her  in  the  day  of  slaughter.  He 
expresses  his  confident  expectation,  that  though 


APPROACH     TO    THE     KINO.         129 

she  should  hold  her  peace,  deliverance  would 
arise  to  the  Jews  from  some  other  quarter  ;  in 
which  case  she,  by  her  criminal  silence,  would 
bring  destruction  on  herself  and  her  father's 
house.  And  he  called  her  to  consider  not  only 
what  was  due  by  her  in  point  of  gratitude  for 
such  unexpected  exaltation,  but  also  the  high 
probability  that  Providence  had  advanced  her 
to  the  rank  which  she  filled  that  she  might  be 
the  honoured  instrument  of  her  country's  sal- 
vation. 

"  The  words  of  the  wise  are  as  goads,  and  as 
nails  fastened  by  the  masters  of  assemblies, 
which  are  given  from  one  shepherd."  "  How 
forcible  are  right  words !"  Mordecai,  thou  hast 
prevailed!  Esther  is  twice  thy  daughter!  She 
is  prepared  to  obey  thy  injunctions,  and  to  risk 
her  crown  and  the  head  that  wears  it,  for  the 
deliverance  of  her  people.  She  only  wanted  to 
be  instructed  ;  and  no  sooner  were  her  doubts 
removed,  and  her  judgment  informed,  than  her 
resolution  was  fixed.  But  it  was  not  formed  in 
a  fit  of  enthusiasm.  She  would  not  rush  into 
the  king's  presence,  trusting  to  the  influence  of 


130  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

her  beautjr,  or  of  her  eloquence,  or  to  miracu- 
lous interposition:  but  would,  in  the  first  place, 
prepare  her  own  mind,  and  seek  the  blessing  of 
heaven,  by  engaging  in  the  secret  and  private 
exercises  of  religion;  and  having  entreated  the 
Lord  and  committed  her  soul  to  him  in  well- 
doing, she  would  go  in  to  the  king,  with  these 
words  on  her  heart,  as  well  as  on  her  tongue, 
''  If  I  ferish,  I  perisV^ 

Highly  as  she  revered  ^Mordecai,  and  great 
as  was  her  confidence  in  his  wisdom  and  integ- 
rity, Esther's  was  no  implicit  faith  or  blind 
obedience;  and,  accordingly,  he  must  be  in- 
structed by  his  pupil,  and  in  his  turn  must  be 
content  to  have  his  duty  pointed  out  to  him,  and 
to  beurged  totheperformanceofit.  ''Go, gat/ier 
togelJier  all  the  Jews  that  are  present  in  Shu- 
shan,  and  fast  ye  for  me,  a^id  neither  eat  nor 
drink  three  days,  night  or  day ;  I  also  and  my 
maidens  will  fast  likewise;  and  so  ivill  I  go  in 
VMtn  the  king,  which  is  not  according  to  the 
law;  and  if  I  perish.  I  perish.  So  Mordecai 
went  his  way,  and  did  according  to  all  that 
EUher  had  commanded  him."    There  is  often  a 


FASTING.  131 

great  contest  about  aiuhority  and  rights  among 
men.  "What  right  have  you  to  command  me  ? 
or  what  authority  have  you  over  my  con- 
science?" None;  but  God  has  an  absolute 
authority  over  us  both;  and  his  word,  though 
spoken  by  a  child,  by  an  inferior,  or  a  woman, 
claims  obedience.  "  Ye  younger,  submit  your- 
selves unto  the  elder;  yea,  all  of  you  be  subject 
one  to  another,  and  be  clothed  with  humility." 
Mordecai  had  charged  Esther,  and  yet  "  Mor- 
decai  went  his  way,  and  did  according  to  all 
that  Esther  had  commanded  him." 

During  three  days  they  neither  ate  nor 
drank;  that  is,  they  abstained  from  set  meals, 
and  from  pleasant  food,  as  Daniel  is  said  to 
have  done  when  he  sought  the  Lord  by  prayer 
and  supplication  w^ith  fasting ;  and  as  John 
Baptist  is  said  to  have  come  "  neither  eating 
nor  drinking,"  when  he  lived  on  locusts  and 
wild  honey.  For  to  have  abstained  totally 
from  food,  as  it  would  have  been  superstitious, 
so  it  would  have  weakened  Esther  both  in  body 
and  spirits,  and  unfitted  her  for  appearing  before 
the  king. 


132  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

We  remarked  formerly,  that  though  the 
name  of  God  is  not  in  this  book,  his  finger  is  in 
it;  and  we  may  observe  here,  that  though 
prayer  is  not  specified  in  this  passage,  yet  it  is 
evidently  implied.*  Fasting  is  always  connect- 
ed with  prayer  in  Scripture.  When  sins 
abound,  when  judgments  are  impending,  when 
any  great  benefit  is  to  be  sought,  or  any  difficult 
work  is  to  be  attempted,  it  is  proper  to  join  fast- 
ing with  prayer,  to  humble  ourselves  under  the 
mighty  hand  of  God,  to  confess  our  iniquities, 
deprecate  deserved  wrath,  and  implore  unde- 
served mercy.  That  person  must  be  thought- 
less or  impious  who  does  not  perceive  that 
there  is  a  loud  call  for  this  exercise  both  pri- 
vately and  publicly,  singly  and  socially,  in  our 
day — when  there  are  so  many  tokens  of  ap- 
proaching calamities  in  the  agitated  state  of 
Europe,  giving  dreadful  note  of  preparations 
for  war ;  and  in  our  own  country,  where 
iniquity  abounds,  and  the  love  of  many  has 
waxed  cold,  where  error  is  rampant,  and  the 

*  The  apocrj'phal  additions  have  prayers. 


FASTING    DERIDED.  loa 

bonds  of  society  are  in  danger  of  being  burst 
asunder.  Yet  who  hears  the  voice,  or  is  pre- 
pared to  obey  the  call  ?  "  In  that  day  did  the 
Lord  God  of  hosts  call  to  weeping,  and  to 
mourning,  and  to  baldness,  and  to  girding  with 
sackcloth ;  and  to  behold  joy  and  gladness ; 
slaying  oxen  and  killing  sheep ;  eating  flesh 
and  drinking  wine  ;  let  us  eat  and  drink,  for 
to-morrow  we  shall  die."  It  was  the  complaint 
of  one  of  old,  "  When  I  wept,  and  chastened 
my  soul  with  fasting,  that  was  to  my  reproach. 
I  made  sackcloth  also  my  garment:  and  I  be- 
came a  proverb  to  them."  We  are  now  ad- 
vanced to  such  a  height  of  impiety,  that  the 
very  mention  of  the  name  of  the  exercise  refer- 
red to  calls  forth  scorn.  There  is  a  certain 
House — let  us  not  name  it,  not  ev^n  in  a  whis- 
per, lest  a  bird  of  the  air  should  carry  it,  and 
proclaim  it — not  at  Westminster,  but  in  Paris, 
or  Madrid,  or  Rome — there  is  a  certain  House 
in  which  the  very  name  of  a  fast  is  a  signal 
for  hooting  and  laughter.  But  why  need  we 
attempt  to  hide  the  fact,  Avhen  our  folly  and  sin 
is  made  manifest  to  all  the  world-^when  our 
12 


134  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

national  councils,  under  an  infatuation,  height- 
ened by  the  dreams  and  visions  of  "  light  pro- 
phets,''* have,  for  the  sake  of  a  hollow  and 
false  peace,  given  power  to  the  beast,  and 
strengthened  the  hands  of  the  votaries  of  the 
Mm  of  Sin,  that  they  should  not  return  from 
their  evil  ways,  neither  repent  of  their  sorceries 
and  spiritual  fornications.  When  the  wicked 
decree  of  Hanaan  was  proclaimed,  "the  city 
Shashan  was  perplexed."  But  on  the  occasion 
referred  to,  our  Shushan  was  in  no  perplexity, 
but  all  ranks  joined  in  urging  on  our  too  will- 
ing rulers;  and  our  ministers  of  religion  were 
among  the  loudest  in  crying,  "Go  up  and 
prosper."  God  has  punished  them  by  writing 
foolishness  on  their  measures,  and  "smiting 
with  a  scab"  the  crown  of  their  glory.  But  I 
refer  not  to  the  fall  of  the  ministry  which  had 
recourse  to  that  measure  for  their  support;  I 
refer  not  to  the  convulsions  in  Ireland,  which,  we 
were  told  it  would  assuage.   I  refer  to  something 

*  Zephan.  iii,  4,   "  Her  prophets  are  light  and  treach- 
erous persons." 


POPERY     COUNTENANCED.        135 

nearer.  In  this  city,  where  the  performance  of 
mass,  even  in  the  private  chapel  of  a  legitimate 
and  native  princess,  excited  the  greatest  alarm 
and  indignation — in  this  city  mass  has  lately 
been  openly  performed,  during  the  residence  of 
an  exiled  prince,  and  a  solemn  dirge  and 
lamentation  for  the  death  of  a  pope  has  been 
sung;  the  service  has  been  unblushingly  adver- 
tised and  reported  by  a  venal  and  corrupt  press, 
and  it  was  witnessed  and  countenanced  by  a 
crowded  congregation,  consisting  chiefly  of  per- 
sons calling  themselves  Protestants.  To  say 
they  are  unworthy  of  the  name,  is  to  say  noth- 
ing; they  are  a  disgrace  to  it.  If  Popery  were 
to  be  re-established  in  our  land,  it  would  require 
no  gibbets,  or  prisons,  or  force,  or  persuasion,  to 
make  such  persons  converts — to  kiss  a  crucifix, 
or  adore  a  wafer.  O  the  sin  of  the  poor,  blind- 
ed, deluded  papists,  and  even  of  those  among 
them  who  know  better  things,  is  light,  and 
trifling,  and  venial,  compared  with  that  of  pro- 
testants,  who,  being  instructed  out  of  the  book 
of  God,  and  knowing  that  those  who  do  sue? 
things  are  worthy  of  death,  not  only  do  th** 


136         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

same,  but  have  pleasure  in  those  that  do  them  ; 
and  who,  for  the  sake  of  entertainment,  would 
countenance  those  lies  and  idolatries  which  are 
sending  souls  daily  down  to  hell !  Do  not  our 
ears  tingle  with  the  words,  "  Surely  this  ini- 
quity shall  not  be  purged  from  you  till  ye  die?" 
There  is  no  purgatory  for  Protestants. 

I  said  that  we  have  a  loud  call  to  fasting. 
There  is  a  cry,  feeble  indeed,  raised  by  some  for 
a  general  fast,  and  some  good  men  are  address- 
ing petitions  to  the  throne  for  such  an  appoint- 
ment. I  respect  the  intentions  of  such  pious 
petitioners,  but  have  no  hope  of  good  resulting 
from  the  measure.  Not  to  say  that  national 
fasts  have  long  been  appointed  in  this  country 
by  mere  regal  authority,  to  the  setting  aside  of 
the  authority  of  the  church,  and  have  been  made 
subservient  to  political  purposes,  what  prospect 
is  there  in  the  present  character  of  the  nation, 
that  a  call  from  the  throne  would  lead  to  such  a 
fast  as  the  Lord  requireth  ?  Would  our  ministers 
of  state  humble  themselves  before  the  Lord,  and 
turn  to  him  with  all  their  hearts  ?  Would  the 
two  Houses  of  Parliament  ?  Would  our  nobility 


FASTING     AND    SUPPLICATION.     137 

or  gentry?  Would  men  of  literature  and 
science?  Would  the  great  body  of  our  people? 
Ah  !  these  have  "  broken  the  yoke  and  burst 
the  bands" — "they  know  not  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  nor  the  judgment  of  their  God."  Is 
there  not  reason  to  fear  that  a  national  fast,  in 
present  circumstances,  would  be  a  mockery  of 
the  Almighty?  that  it  would  add  hypocrisy  to 
our  irreligion,  and  infidelity,  and  profanation  of 
the  Sabbath,  and  other  abounding  sins?  We 
must  be  brought  into  yet  deeper  waters — our 
straits,  and  embarrassments,  and  plagues  must 
press  sorer  upon  us  and  come  nearer  to  our 
souls,  before  we  be  in  any  fit  state  for  devoting 
a  day,  as  a  nation,  to  bewail  our  sins  before 
Him  who  looketh  not  on  the  outward  appear- 
ance. In  the  meantime,  let  the  fearers  of  the 
Lord,  who  tremble  at  his  word  and  stand  in 
awe  of  his  judgments,  let  them  assemble  them- 
selves for  fasting  and  supplication,  and  cry 
mightily  to  God  to  spare  the  people,  and  not 
give  his  heritage  to  reproach.  After  having 
been  thus  employed,  we  shall  be  in  a  better 
frame  for  adopting  any  measures  which  have 
12* 


138  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

for  their  object  the  glory  of  God,  or  the  welfare 
of  our  people.  Such  was  Esthers  course; 
"  Fast  ye  for  me — /  also  and  my  wMidens  icill 
fast  likeioise ;  and  so  will  I  go  in  unto  the 
king,  which  is  not  according  to  the  law. 

"  To  every  thing  there  is  a  season,  and  a 
time  to  every  purpose  under  the  sun.  There 
is  a  time  to  weep,  and  a  time  to  refrain  from 
weeping ;  a  time  to  keep  silence,  and  a  time  to 
speak."  After  engaging  in  religious  exercises, 
Esther  found  her  mind  fortified  for  the  task  as- 
signed to  her.  She  was  satisfied  it  was  her 
duty,  which  to  a  pious  mind  is  always  the  chief 
consideration.  Her  fears  were  dissipated,  her 
spirits  composed  and  elevated,  and  she  felt  her- 
self disposed  nobly  to  adventure  every  thing  in 
the  sacred  cause. 

"  He  that  believeth  doth  not  make  haste ;" 
but  neither  doth  he  linger  like  the  slothful. 
Fasting  and  prayer  are  preparatives,  not  sub- 
stitutes, for  active  duties.  "  The  Lord  said  unto 
Moses,  Wherefore  criest  thou  unto  me  ?  speak 
unto  the  children  of  Israel  that  they  go  lor- 
ward."    Good  resolutions,  when  difficulties  and 


ESTHER     IN     ROYAL    A  P  P  A  R  E  I,  .     1  39 

dangers  must  be  broken  through,  should  be 
speedily  performed ;  and  we  should  not  damp 
them  by  prolonging  religious  exercises.  Hav- 
ing spent  the  time  allotted  to  fasting,  Esther 
rose  from  the  ground,  laid  aside  her  sackcloth, 
and  put  on  her  royal  apparel.  The  apocryphal 
additions  to  this  book  represent  her  as  appeal- 
ing to  God,  that  she  always  abhorred  these 
signs  of  her  high  estate.  That  her  adorning 
was  in  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  that  she  did 
not  glory  in  her  crown  and  embroidered  gar- 
ments, and  would  have  been  willing  to  have 
thrown  them  away  for  the  sake  of  conscience 
and  the  good  of  her  people,  is  all  true.  But 
why  should  she  have  abhorred  them  in  them- 
selves ?  There  was  nothing  sinful  or  necessarily 
contaminating  in  their  touch  :  they  were  given 
her  of  God ;  they  were  the  badge  of  the  rank  to 
which  she  had  been  raised ;  and  had  she  ap- 
peared without  them,  or  worn  them  in  an  awk- 
ward, slovenly  manner,  she  would  have  dis- 
honoured her  husband,  and  defeated  her  laud- 
able enterprise.  Esther  did  not  adorn  herself 
to  attract  the  regards  of  Ahasuerus,  but  because 


140  LECTURES     O  x\     ESTHER. 

she  felt  it  incumbent  on  her  to  appear  in  a  man- 
ner becoming  her  station.  There  is  no  sin  in 
persons  dressing  according  to  their  rank.  The 
king's  daughter  may  be  all  glorious  \Yithin, 
though  her  garments  are  of  wrought  gold;  and 
the  plainest  and  coarsest  garb  may  conceal  a 
proud  and  haughty  spirit. 

The  author  of  the  Apocrypha  tells  us  that 
the  queen  Avent  into  the  inner  court  with  a  cheer- 
ful countenance,  but  a  heart  full  of  anguish,  and 
that  the  king  who  sat  on  his  throne,  lifting  up 
his  countenance,  which  shone  with  majesty,  and 
looking  fiercely  upon  her,  she  fell  on  the  arm 
of  her  maid  in  a  swoon,  upon  which  the  mon- 
arch, melted  into  pity,  left  his  throne,  and  em- 
bracing his  spouse,  restored  her  fallen  spirits. 
This  account  savours  of  romance.  The  simple 
narrative  before  us  represent?  Esther  as  appear- 
ing with  a  dignified  modesty  becoming  a  royal 
suppliant,  the  urgency  of  whose  errand  had 
prompted  her  to  enter  uncalled,  and  to  throw 
herself  on  the  clemency  of  her  husband. 

"  The  king's  heart  is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord, 
who  turneth  it  like  the  waters  in  a  conduit." 


ENCOURAGEMENTS    TO    PRAYER.    141 

He  "  prospered  his  servant,  and  granted   her 
mercy  in'  the  sight  of  this  man."     Whatever 
might  be  the  alienation  of  his  affection  before, 
she  now  found  favour  in  his  eyes ;  and  he  no 
sooner  recognized  her  than  he  held  out  to  her 
the  golden  sceptre  in  his  hand,  as  a  pledge  of 
royal  protection  and   benignity.     This  was  a 
token  for  good,  like  that  which  Jacob  had  when 
"  he  wept  and  made  supplication,"  and  was  call- 
ed Israel,  "  because  as  a  prince  he  had  power 
with  God  and  men,  and  had  prevailed."    O  the '"' 
power,   the   irresistible   efficacy   of  believing, 
humble,  fervent  prayer  !   It  makes  its  VA^ay  into 
heaven,  and  returns  fraughted  with  blessings ; 
and  it  opens  a  way  into  the  most  inaccessible  of 
human  hearts,  making  the  haughty  humble,  and 
the  austere  gentle  and  benignant.    "  What  wilt 
thou,  quern  Esther  1  And  what  is  thy  request  ? 
It  shall  be  even  given  thee  to  the  half  of  the  king- 
dom.'''— What  encouragement  is  here  presented 
to  those  who  are  called  to  venture  their  lives, 
or  their  reputation,  or  their  substance,  in  the 
cause  of  God !   They  shall  not  only  have  these 
preserved,  but  in  one  way  or  another  increased. 


142  L  E  C  T  r  K  K  S     ox     ESTHER. 

How  often  has  God  prevented  the  fears,  and  out- 
done the  hopes  of  his  servants !  It  is  the  cowar- 
dice of  Christians  that  spoils  their  fortune.  Their 
fears  kill  them,  and  benumb,  and  palsy,  and 
deaden  their  exertions  for  God  and  his  Church. 
If  we  had  more  taith,  and  "added  to  our  faith 
fortitude,"  our  trials  would  be  less,  and  our  suc- 
cess greater.  '*  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that  if  thou 
wouldst  believe,  thou  shouldst  see  the  glory  of 
God  r 

From  the  story  of  the  unjust  judge,  our  Sa- 
viour took  occasion  to  teach  that  '■  men  ought 
always  to  pray  and  not  to  taint ;"  and,  without 
wandering  from  the  subject,  I  may  surely  take 
opportunity  from  this  portion  of  history  to  incul- 
cate the  same  duty.  Did  this  haughty  monarch 
hold  out  the  sceptre,  and  say,  What  wilt  thou, 
and  what  is  thy  request  ?  and  shall  not  God 
hear  his  own  elect — his  chosen  spouse,  crying 
to  him  day  and  night?  Esther  had  to  go  into 
the  presence  of  a  proud  imperious  man.  we  to 
go  into  the  presence  of  a  God  of  love  and  con- 
descension. She  was  not  called:  we  are  invited. 
She  went  in  against  the  law  ;  we  have  both  pre- 


ESTHERS    PRUDENCE.  143 

cept  and  promise  in  our  favour— yea,  precept 
upon  precept,  and  promise  upon  promise.  "Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you  :  geek,  and  ye  shall 
find  :  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 
She  had  no  friend  at  court  on  whom  she  could 
rely,  and  the  g^reat -favourite  was  the  accuser  of 
her  brethren,  the  mortal  foe  of  her  name  and 
race ;  we,  even  when  we  liave  sinned,  and  sin- 
ned after  light  anJ  pardon,  have  an  advocate 
with  the  Father,  his  beloved  Son,  in  whom  he  is 
well  pleased,  who  also  is  the  propitiation  for  our 
sins.  Esther  was  encouraged  to  ask  to  the  ex- 
tent of  the  half  of  the  kingdom  of  Persia ;  we 
are  encouraged  to  ask  to  the  whole  of  the  king- 
dom of  Heaven,  with  a  life  rent  on  earth  of  ail 
that  is  needful  for  us.  Ought  we  not  then  to 
come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace  V' 

When  persons  are  placed  in  critical  situations, 
and  endeavour  to  act  singly  and  hontstlj-,  wis- 
dom is  granted  to  them  to  direct  their  course. 
Though  she  had  met  with  a  reception  equal  to 
her  most  sanguine  expectations,  Esther  did  not 
immediately  present  the  request  which  was  near- 
est her  hean,  but  contented  herself  with  begging 


144  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

that  the  king,  accompanied  with  Haman,  would 
•'  come  to  the  banquet  of  wine  which  she  had  pre- 
parecV^  By  this  she  testified  her  disinterested- 
.ness.  She  did  not  choose  to  take  advantage  of  a 
promise  which  he  had  made  perhaps  from  sud- 
den feeling,  and  she  wished  to  show  him  that 
she  valued  his  company  above  all  the  gifts  which 
he  could  confer  upon  her,  though  they  should 
amount  in  value  to  the  half  of  his  kingdom. 
She  was  afraid  of  precipitating  the  decision,  and 
sought  to  avail  herself  of  every  prudent  method 
for  ensuring  success.  The  inner  court  of  the 
palace,  where  the  king  was  surrounded  by  his 
servants,  was  an  improper  place  for  the  dis- 
closure of  so  important  and  delicate  an  affair. 
And  it  was  every  way  proper  that  Haman,  the 
adviser  and  author  of  the  measure,  which  it  was 
her  object  to  defeat,  should  be  present  at  the  time 
that  the  information  was  communicated  to  the 
monarch,  whose  confidence  he  had  abused. 

Carnal  prudence  and  worldly  policy  should 
be  discarded  by  all  who  embark  in  the  interests 
of  religion.  They  corrupt  the  minds  of  those 
who  employ  them,  and  betray  into  courses  which 


Esther's   prudence.  145 

the  God  of  truth  cannot  approve  nor  prosper. 
But  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  we  are 
warranted  to  transgress  the  ordinary  rules  of 
prudence  and  discretion,  in  promoting  the  cause 
of  heaven.  "  Behold !  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep 
in  the  midst  of  wolves :  be  ye  therefore  wise  as 
serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves."  Even  at  the 
banquet  of  wine,  when  the  king  urged  Esther 
to  declare  her  request,  she  excused  herself 
Here  we  are  chiefly  to  observe  the  providence 
of  God,  overruling  the  mind  of  Esther,  and  in- 
clining her  to  postpone  the  disclosure  to  the 
next  day,  that  what  happened  during  the  inter- 
vening time  might  ripen  the  plans  of  Heaven 
for  the  deliverance  of  the  Jews,  by  bringing 
Mordecai  into  honourable  notice,  and  mortify- 
ing Haman.  "  The  preparations  of  the  heart 
in  man,  and  the  answer  of  the  tongue,  is  from 
the  Lord."  Yet  this  was  doubtless  accomplish- 
ed by  ordinary  occurrences  affecting  the  resolu- 
tions of  the  queen.  We  all  know  how  difficult 
it  is  for  us  to  break  a  secret  which  is  big  with 
interest  to  ourselves  and  others ;  that  in  waiting 
for  the  mollia  tempora  fandi,  the  most  favoura- 
13 


145  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

ble  season  of  speaking,  we  allow  the  time  to 
prs],  and  are  fain  to  postpone  the  affair  to  a  fu- 
ture opportunity.  The  petition  might  be  upon 
Esther's  lips,  but  not  finding  courage  to  utter  it, 
she  was  glad  of  a  respite,  that  she  might  ask  of 
God  a  mouth  and  wisdom.  She  therefore  con- 
tented herself  with  requesting  the  honour  of  an- 
other visit  on  the  following  day,  promising  that 
she  would,  then,  without  fail,  acquaint  the  king 
with  the  request  which  had  prompted  her  un- 
called to  seek  his  presence,  and  which  he  had 
so  graciously  encouraged  her  to  present.  We 
shall  afterwards  see  what  occurred  in  the  in- 
terval. 

We  observe  something  resembling  the  holy, 
artless  policy  of  Esther,  in  Abraham's  interces- 
sion for  Sodom.  O  that  we  had  the  faith,  and 
wisdom,  and  courage  of  Esther,  joined  with  the 
reverence  and  importunity  of  Abraham,  in  deal- 
ing with  the  King  of  heaven !  Then  our  people 
might  be  given  at  our  request,  and  we  should 
certainly  have  our  souls  for  a  prey,  and  be  sen 
away  rejoicing. 


147 


LECTURE    NINTH, 


Esther  V.    9—14. 

Then  went  Haman  forth  that  day  joyfully  and  with  a  glad 
heart:  but  icJien  Haman  saw  Mordecai  in  the  king's 
gate,  that  he  stood  not  vp,  nor  moved  for  him,  he  was 
full  of  indignation  against  Mordecai.  Nevertheless 
Haman  refrained  himself:  and  ichen  he  came  home,  he 
sent  and  called  for  his  friends,  and  Zcresh  his  tcife. 
And  Haman  told  them  of  the  glory  of  his  riches,  and 
the  multitude  of  his  children,  and  all  the  things  wherein 
the  king  had  promoted  him,  and  how  he  had  advanced 
him  above  the  princes  and  servants  of  the  king.  Haman 
said  moreover,  Yea,  Esther  the  queen  did  let  no  man 
come  in  with  the  king  unto  the  banquet  that  she  had  pre- 
fared  but  myself;  and  to-morrow  am  1  invited  unto  her 
also  with  the  king.  Yet  all  this  availeth  me  nothing,  so 
long  as  I  see  Mordecai  the  Jew  sitting  at  the  king's  gate. 
Then  said  Zeresh  his  wife  and  all  his  friends  unto  him, 
Let  a  gallows  he  made  of  fifty  cubits  high,  and  to-mor- 
row speak  thou  unto  the  king  that  Mordecai  may  be 
lianged  thereon  :  then  go  thou  in  merrily  with  the  king 
unto  the  banquet.  And  the  thing  pleased  Haman ;  and 
he  caused  the  gallows  to  be  made. 


148  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

When  Joab  wished  to  procure  an  order 
from  David  to  recall  Absalom  from  banish- 
ment, he  did  not  go  in  to  the  king  himself. 
Though  a  politic  as  well  as  a  brave  soldier,  he 
was  no  orator.  He  could  mark  the  approach 
of  an  army,  or  draw  his  enemy  into  an  ambus- 
cade, but  he  was  conscious  of  unskilfulness  in 
the  smooth  arts  of  speech,  and  that  the  blunt- 
ness  of  his  address,  and  the  impetuosity  of  his 
temper,  might  defeat  the  object  he  had  in  view, 
and  offend  a  prince  who,  though  he  longed  for 
the  company  of  his  son,  was  jealous  of  his 
honour  and  duty  as  a  just  and  impartial  judge. 
He  therefore  employed  a  wise  woman  of  Tekoa, 
as  his  agent,  and  gave  her  a  clue  by  which  she 
with  admirable  caution  and  dexterity  wound 
herself  into  the  heart  of  the  king. 

In  employing  Esther  to  intercede  for  the 
life  of  his  people,  Mordecai  relied,  not  only  on 
the  relation  in  which  she  stood  to  Ahasuerus, 
but  also  on  her  known  wisdom  and  discretion ; 
and  he  was  not  disappointed.  She  did  not  avail 
herself  of  the  deceptive  arts  of  the  Tekoite  wo- 
man.    She  did  not  need  to  "feisn  herself  to  be 


THE    JOY    OF    THE    WICKED.         149 

a  mourner,"  nor  did  she  tell  a  fictitious  story 
of  distress,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  she  neglected 
nothing  that  an  innocent  prudence  dictated  on 
the  important  crisis.  When  graciously  re- 
ceived by  her  royal  husband,  who  promised  to 
fulfil  her  wish,  though  it  should  cost  him  the 
half  of  his  kingdom,  she  did  not  immediately 
ask  the  boon  nearest  her  heart,  but  contented 
herself  with  requesting  that  the  king  and  Ha- 
man  would  come  to  the  banquet  which  she  had 
prepared  for  them;  and- when  Ahasuerus  dur- 
ing the  entertainment  repeated  his  promise,  she 
merely  begged  the  honour  of  her  guest's  com- 
pany on  the  following  day.  He  that  believeth 
shall  not  make  haste,  even  when  the  storm  of 
adversity  has  thickened,  and  threatens  every 
moment  to  burst  ov^er  his  head.  Time  must 
not  be  lost,  but  there  is  a  time  for  every  purpose 
under  heaven,  and  precipitation  is  as  dangerous 
as  procrastination. 

By  this   prudent   delay,  Esther  ingratiated 
herself  with  the   king,  and   lulled  the  guilty 
favourite  into  a  security  which  proved  fatal  to 
himself  and  his  projects.    ■ 
13* 


150  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

"  Then  loent  Haman  forth  that  day  joyful 
and  with  a  glad  heariP  The  wickedest  of 
men  may  be  not  only  prosperous,  but  joyful ; 
though  their  hands  are  stained  with  blood, 
though  their  thoughts  may  have  been  "devising 
iniquity  on  their  beds,  that  they  may  practise  it 
when  the  morning  is  light,"  yet  they  go  forth 
with  a  glad  heart  and  a  light  step.  With  con- 
sciences as  black  as  hell,  they  are  not  afraid  to 
look  on  the  unsullied  orb  of  day,  or  to  be  seen 
by  the  moon  when  she  walks  in  brightness. 
Such  is  the  deceitfulness  of  sin,  especially  when 
it  is  cherished  by  prosperity.  "  They  are 
corrupt,  they  speak  wickedly  concerning  op- 
pression: they  speak  loftily.  They  set  their 
mouth  against  the  heavens ;  and  their  tongue 
walketh  through  the  earth.  They  say,  the 
Lord  shall  not  see,  neither  shall  the  God  of 
Jacob  regard  it."  This  has  often  been  a  source 
of  bitter  distress  to  good  men,  who  have  been 
"  envious  at  the  foolish,  when  they  saw  the 
prosperity  of  the  wicked."  But  this  is  their 
infirmity,  and  they  are  brought  to  confess  it. 
Why  should  they  envy  that  joy  which  dwells 


THE    JOY    OF    THE    WICKED.       151 

in  a  guilty  heart — that  prosperity  which  betrays 
them  to  their  ruin  ?  There  is  greater  reason 
for  deriding  them ;  for  "  the  triumphing  of  the 
wicked  is  short."  What  a  pitiable  object  would 
Haman  be  in  the  eyes  of  Esther  that  day,  when 
she  viewed  him  from  the  lattice  of  her  window, 
as  he  left  the  palace  !  •'  The  virgin,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Zion,  hath  despised  thee,  and  laughed 
thee  to  scorn  ;  the  daughter  of  Jerusalem  hath 
shaken  her  head  at  thee." 

•'  Then  loent  Haman  forth  that  dky  joyful, 
and  with  a  glad  heart.''''  That  day  was  the 
last  of  his  gladness;  next  morning's  sun  should 
not  set  before  all  his  glory  was  laid  in  the  dust. 
Nay,  that  very  day,  and  that  very  moment, 
when  it  was  most  buoyant,  his  joy  was  destined 
to  suffer  a  dash  from  which  it  would  never 
completely  recover.  Before  he  left  the  court  of 
the  palace,  from  which  he  had  come  out  Avith 
such  uplifted  spirits,  a  dart  entered  his  liver, 
and  inflicted  a  wound,  which  the  zeal  and  art 
of  all  his  physicians  could  not  heal.  "  But 
ivhen  Haman  saw  Mordecai  in  the  king's  gate, 
that  he  stood  not  up,  nor  moved  for  him,  he  loas 
full  of  indignation  against  MordecaiP 


152  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

There's  a  picture !  standing  out  in  bold  re- 
lief, and  contrasted  with  that  of  the  proud  but 
worthless  premier.  The  one  haughty  and  en- 
raged ;  the  other  humble,  but  composed  and 
dignified.  It  is  not  the  port,  the  state,  the  pa- 
geantry ;  it  is  not  the  rank,  riches,  or  power  ; 
the  mind  and  spirit — that  is  the  man.  The 
person  who  occupies  the  place  of  a  common 
porter,  may  have  within  him  a  soul  that  towers 
in  real  greatness  far  above  that  of  the  proudest 
and  most  titled  grandee.  He  may  have  that 
within  him,  which,  while  it  rouses  the  indigna- 
tion, quails  the  courage  of  him  who  has  armies 
at  his  beck.  He  who  is  conscious  of  acting 
rightly,  has  no  reason  to  grow  pale  at  the  sight 
of  danger.  He  who  is  embarked  in  the  cause 
of  God  and  his  people,  and  whose  conscience 
acquits  him  of  having  failed  in  his  duty  to  his 
prince,  or  having  done  evil  to  any  man,  feels 
himself  clad  in  the  panoply  of  heaven,  stands 
fearless  and  scathless,  is  immovable  in  his  pur- 
pose, and  will  not  do  a  mean  or  unworthy,  far 
less  a  sinful  thing,  to  save  his  own  life,  or  the 
lives  of  those  whom  he  holds  dearest. 


REAL     GREATNESS.  153 

Such  was  Mordecai.  He  had  had  ample 
leisure  to  reflect  on  his  conduct  in  refusing  the 
homage  claimed  by  Haman.  That  refusal  had 
drawn  down  the  vengeance  of  the  wicked 
favourite  on  himself  and  his  people.  But  still 
Haman  is  "  contemned  in  his  eyes  as  a  vile 
person."  He  exhibited  no  tokens  of  positive 
disrespect.  He  would  not  insult  him,  he  would 
not  rail  upon  him  as  he  passed,  or  behind  his 
back.  But  he  would  not  yield  him  any  direct 
homage;  "he  stood  not  up,  nor  moved  for  him." 
An  ordinary  patriot  would  have  been  disposed 
to  act  in  a  different  manner.  He  would  have 
said,  "My  daughter  is  employed  in  using 
means  for  obtaining  from  her  royal  husband  a 
revocation  of  the  decree  for  the  slaughter  of  the 
Jews;  but  she  has  to  contend  against  powerful 
influence.  I  will  endeavour  to  smooth  her  dif- 
ficulties ;  and  much  as  I  despise  this  minion,  I 
will  for  once  abase  myself  before  him,  and  try 
to  assuage  his  resentment  and  propitiate  his 
favour,  by  offering  him  that  obeisance  which 
is  so  grateful  to  his  pride."  Moses  did  not  act 
on  this  principle,  when  Pharaoh,  awed  by  the 


154         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER, 

plagues  which  he  had  suffered,  offered  to  allow 
the  Israelites  to  go,  provided  they  left  their 
flocks  and  herds  behind  them :  "  There  shall 
not  an  hoof  be  left  behind !"  Our  Saviour  did 
not  act  upon  this  principle,  when  the  Pharisees 
said,  "Get  thee  out  and  depart  hence,  for  Herod 
w^ill  kill  thee."  "  Go,  tell  that  fox,  behold,  I 
cast  out  devils,  and  do  cures  to-day  and  to-mor- 
row, and  the  third  day  I  shall  be  perfected." 
Nor  would  Mordecai  act  upon  this  principle. 
Haman  had  devised  a  deed  which  created  hor- 
ror both  in  heaven  and  earth ;  the  devoted 
Jews  were  cast  on  the  special  protection  of 
Providence  j  Mordecai  was  persuaded  that  en- 
largement and  deliverance  would  arise  to  them 
from  some  quarter,  and  he  entertained  sanguine 
hopes  that  Esther  had  come  to  the  kingdom  for 
this  very  end.  He  would  not,  therefore,  dis- 
please God,  and  dishonour  himself,  by  having 
recourse  to  the  mean  expedient  of  cringing  to 
the  author  of  his  country's  wrongs,  lest  the  day 
of  their  deliverance  should  witness  his  own  de- 
struction and  that  of  his  father's  house. 

This  conduct  on  the  part  of  Mordecai  ex- 


PRIDE.  155 

ceeding-Iy  enraged  Haman.  Perhaps  he  had 
heard  of  the  distress  into  which  the  object  of  his 
hatred  had  been  thrown  by  the  decree  for  exter- 
minating the  Jews,  and  therefore  expected,  the 
next  time  they  met,  to  see  him  grovelling  in 
the  dust.  But  when  he  found  his  independent 
spirit  unbroken,  and  that  he  neither  rose  up 
nor  moved  at  his  approach,  he  boiled  with  in- 
dignation, and  his  wounded  pride  demanded 
instant  revenge.  "  O  that  I  had  of  his  flesh!  I 
cannot  be  satisfied." 

"  Proud  and  haughty  scorner  is  his  name 
that  dealeth  in  proud  wrath."  Pride  was  the 
first  sin  that  entered  into  the  universe.  It  was 
pride  that  turned  angels  into  devils.  It  was 
pride  that,  after  thinning  heaven  and  peopling 
hell,  invaded  our  world,  and  drove  man  out  of 
paradise.  It  was  pride  that  caused  the  first-born 
on  earth  to  embrue  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  an 
only  brother.  Pride  has  broken  the  peace  of 
families  and  nations,  and  carried  fire  and  sword 
through  the  earth.  It  is  equally  the  parent  of 
oppression  and  licentiousness,  setting  the  father 
against  the  son,  and  the  son  against  the  father  ; 


156  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

the  master  against  the  servant,  and  the  servant 
against  the  master ;  the  sovereign  against  his 
subjects,  and  the  subjects  against  their  sove- 
reign. Pride  has  marred  the  work  of  God, 
given  birth  to  infidelity,  apostasy,  impiety, 
blasphemy  and  persecution ;  it  is  the  mother  of 
heresy,  and  has  fomented  strife  and  contention, 
and  wrath,  and  swellings,  and  tumults,  within 
the  sacred  enclosures  of  the  house  of  God.  O 
beware  of  giving  place  to  this  monster !  The 
man  that  harbours  pride  in  his  heart,  harbours 
a  murderer,  a  fratricide,  a  parricide,  a  suicide,  a 
deicide; — for  it  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory,  and 
still  crucifies  him  afresh  in  his  doctrine  and  in 
his  members. 

Revenge,  instant  revenge,  was  the  cry  of  the 
wounded  pride  of  Haman.  He  would  have 
drawn  his  sword  and  run  the  insolent  caitiflf 
through  the  body,  had  not  prudence  whispered 
that  this  would  be  derogatory  to  his  dignity. 
He  would  have  commanded  one  of  the  passive 
tools  of  power  which  stood  by  to  execute  his 
wish,  had  not  malice  bridled  fury,  and  insisted 
on  a  sweeter  though  a  more  tardy  revenge. 


No  doubt  Providence  restrained  him,  but  it 
restrained  him  by  means  of  his  own  passions. 
"  JETe  refrained  himself.''^ 

"  Great  peace  have  they  that  love  God's  law, 
nothing  shall  offend  them."  "But  there  is  no 
peace  to  the  wicked,  who  are  as  the  troubled 
sea,  that  cannot  rest,  casting  forth  mire  and 
dirt."  Mordecai  kept  his  place  at  the  king's 
gate,  while  Haman  returned  to  his  house,  fret- 
ting with  disappointment  and  fuming  wit*!:!  rage, 
a  vexation  to  himself  and  all  about  him. 

He  instantly  calls  a  privy  council  of  his 
friends,  with  Zeresh  his  wife  at  their  head,  who 
appears  to  have  been,  for  a  woman,  as  ambi- 
tious and  unprincipled  as  her  husband.  In 
their  presence  he  makes  a  speech,  in  which  he 
states  his  case,  and  craves  their  advice.  He 
first  declares  his  good  fortune, — dwells  upon 
the  riches  he  had  acquired,  the  flourishing  state 
of  his  family,  and  the  high  honours  to  which 
the  king  had  promoted  him;  concluding  with 
this,  that  he  only,  of  all  the  princes,  had  been 
invited  by  Esther,  the  queen,  to  the  banquet 
which  she  had  prepared  for  the  king,  and  that 
14 


158  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER, 

he  was  to  have  the  same  high  honour  on  the 
following  day.  Poor  pride !  There  is  noth- 
ing here  but  good  fortune.  The  basest  of  men 
have  obtained  riches,  and  children,  and  honours. 
He  can  say  nothing  of  what  he  has  done ;  all 
has  been  done  to  him.  Foolish  pride  !  "  Ha- 
man  pleased  himself  with  the  fancy  that  the 
queen,  by  this  repeated  invitation,  designed  to 
honour  him ;  whereas  really  she  designed  to 
accuse  him,  and  in  calling  him  to  the  banquet 
did  but  call  him  to  the  bar."  The  pride  of 
thine  heart  hath  deceived  thee,  O  Haman! 
The  point  of  elevation  in  which  thou  gloriest  is 
the  pinnacle  from  which  thou  art  ready  to  be 
cast  into  destruction. 

But  if  such  be  thy  good  fortune,  what  aileth 
thee,  Haman  ?  Why  that  downcast  counte- 
nance? These  marks  of  discontent?  That 
melancholy  air  which  thou  hast  thro^\-n  over 
the  recital  of  thy  honours?  "All  this  availeth 
me  nothing,  so  long  as  I  see  Mordecai  the  Jew 
sitting  at  the  king's  gate."  Worldly  grandeur, 
what  art  thou? — a  name,  a  shadow,  a  phantom, 
a  lie.     Riches,  family,  dignities,  royal  favour, 


HIS     DISCONTENTMENT.  159 

is  this  ail  that  ye  can  do  for  yonr  possessor  ? 
Does  their  happiness,  after  all  that  ye  have  be- 
stowed upon  them,  depend  on  something  else, 
and  does  the  presence  of  some  slight  inconve- 
niences rob  them  of  all,  and  render  them 
Avretched  ?  "  All  this  availeth  me  nothing  so 
long  as" — what?  As  I  am  not  king?  No. 
As  I  have  any  rival  in  the  royal  favour  1  No. 
What  then?  "So  long  as  Mordecai  the  Jew 
sitteth  at  the  king's  gate."  Mordecai  was  a 
common  servant,  a  dead  dog,  and  one  who  in  a 
little  was  to  have  the  burial  of  a  dog ;  and  yet 
a  slight  affront  from  him,  a  look,  or  rather,  no 
look  from  him,  damped  Haman's  joy,  and 
affected  him  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  could  not 
take  comfort  in  anything  he  enjoyed,  unless 
this  hated  object  w'as  swept  from  the  face  of 
the  earth.  But  this  affords  a  lesson  and  a 
reproof  to  persons  who  are  by  no  means  so  bad 
as  the  wicked  minister  of  Ahasuerus.  Those 
who  are  disposed  to  be  uneasy,  will  never  want 
something  to  disturb  them;  and  how  much 
soever  a  proud  or  discontented  person  may 
have,  if  he  has  not  all  that  he  wishes,  he  has 


160  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

nothing.  How  often  do  we  hear  persons  ex- 
claiming, ''All  this  availeih  me  nothing;''^  and 
yet  if  a  humble  modest  man  had  the  hundredth 
part  of  what  they  possess,  it  would  give  him  as 
much  happiness  as  he  expects  from  the  world. 
It  is  thus  that  our  wickedness  corrects  us,  and 
makes  us  self-tormentors. 

Similar  to  the  character  we  have  been  de- 
scribing, is  that  of  the  friends  by  whom  he  was 
surrounded.  His  wife  and  the  rest  of  his  coun- 
sellors gave  him  an  advice  which  suited  his 
disposition  and  present  feelings.  "  Then  said 
Zeresh  his  wife,  and  all  his  friends  unto  him, 
Let  a  galloios  be  made  of  fifty  cubits  high,  arid 
to-morroio  speak  thou  unto  the  king,  that  Mor- 
decai  may  be  hanged  thereon ;  then  go  thou  in 
merrily  with  the  king  unto  the  banquet^  "  Why 
shouldst  thou  suffer  such  an  insignificant  thing, 
such  a  dead  dog  to  stand  in  thy  way,  and  to 
cast  its  shadow  over  thy  happiness  %  Despatch 
it.  The  king,  who  has  already  granted  you  so 
much,  will  not  refuse  you  this  small  gratifica- 
tion. Presuming  on  his  consent,  cause  a  gal- 
lows to  be  made  for  Mordecai.     Let  it  be  fifty 


ADVICE    OF    HIS    FRIENDS.         161 

cubits  high,  that  all  may  behold  the  fate  of 
the  insolent  offender,  and  let  it  be  erected 
before  thy  door,  that  thou  mayest  gratify  thy 
wounded  pride."  "  And  the  thing  pleased  Ha- 
inan, and  he  caused  the  gallows  to  he  made." — ■ 
O  what  desperate  cruelty  and  barbarity  can 
dwell  in  the  breast  of  man !  "  The  thing 
pleased  Haman" — it  did  more  for  him  than  all 
his  riches  and  honours  could  do — it  allayed  the 
irritation  of  his  mind,  and  gave  him  for  the 
time  a  diabolical  contentment.  "  The  wicked 
plotteth  against  the  just,  and  gnasheth  upon 
him  with  his  teeth.  The  Lord  shall  laugh  at 
him;  for  he  seeth  that  his  day  is  come." 


1 4^ 


162 


LECTURE    TENTH. 


Esther   VI.    1—11. 

On  that  night  could  not  the  king  sleep,  and  he  commanded 
to  bring  the  hook  of  records  of  the  chronicles ;  and  they 
icere  read  before  the  king.  And  it  was  found  written, 
that  Mordecai  had  told  of  Bigthana  and  Tcresh,  two  of 
the  king's  chamberlains,  the  keepers  of  the  door,  who 
sought  to  lay  hand  on  the  King  Ahasuerus.  And  the 
king  said,  what  honour  and  dignity  hath  been  done  to 
Mordecai  for  this  ?  Then  said  the  king^s  servants  that 
ministered  unto  him,  There  is  nothing  done  for  him. 
And  the  king  said,  Who  is  in  the  court  1  Now  Human 
was  come  into  the  outward  court  of  the  king's  house,  to 
speak  unto  (lie  king  to  hang  Mordecai  on  the  gallows 
that  he  had  prepared  for  him.  And  the  king's  servants 
said  unto  him.  Behold,  Human  standeth'in  the  court. 
And  the  king  said,  Let  him  come  in.  So  Human  came 
in.  And  the  king  said  unto  him.  What  shall  be  done 
unto  the  man  wJwm  the  king  delightcth  to  honour  1 
Now  Human  thought  in  his  heart,  To  whom  icould  the 
king  delight  to  do  honour  more  than  to  myself?     And 


HA  man's  rage.  163 

Hartian  answered  the  king,  For  the  man  whom  the  king 
delightetk  to  honour,  let  the  royal  apparel  be  brought 
which  the  king  useth  to  icear,  and  the  horse  that  the  king 
rideth  upon,  and  the  crown-royal  ichich  is  set  upon  his 
head  :  And  let  this  apparel  and  horse  be  delivered  to 
the  hand  of  one  of  the  king's  most  noble  princes,  that 
they  may  array  the  man  withal  whom  the  king  delightetk 
to  honour,  and  bring  him  on  horseback  through  the  street 
of  the  city,  and  proclaim  before  him,  Thus  shall  itbedone 
to  the  man  ichoni  the  king  delighteth  to  honour.  Then 
the  king  said  to  Haman,  Make  haste,  and  take  the  ap- 
parel and  the  horse,  as  thou  hast  said,  and  do  even  so  to 
Mordecai  the  Jew,  that  sitteth  at  the  king's  gate :  let 
nothing  fail  of  all  that  thou  hast  spoken.  Then  took 
Haman  the  apparel  and  the  horse,  and  arrayed  Mor- 
decai, and  brought  him  on  horseback  through  the  street 
of  the  city,  and  proclaimed  before  him,  Thus  shall  it  be 
done  unto  the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour. 

In  our  last  Lecture  we  saw  the  rage  which 
seized  Haman  on  observing  that  Mordecai  did 
not  rise  up  at  his  presence,  as  he  passed  from 
the  banquet  at  which  the  queen  had  entertained 
him  along  with  the  king.  "  Wrath  is  cruel," 
but  nowhere  does  it  inflict  such  havoc  as  in  the 
breast  within  which  it  rages.  It  blighted  Ra- 
man's honour,  poisoned   his  enjoyments,  and 


164  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

made  him  wretched  in  the  possession  of  all  that 
this  world  can  contribute  to  happiness.  "  All 
this  availeth  me  nothing,  so  long  as  I  see  Mor- 
decai  the  Jew  sitting  at  the  king's  gate."  Such 
was  his  exclamation  after  he  had  told  his  wife 
and  assembled  friends  *'of  the  glory  of  his 
riches,  and  the  multitude  of  his  children,  and 
all  the  things  wherein  the  king  had  promoted 
him,  and  how  he  had  advanced  him  above  all 
the  servants  of  the  king."  His  friends  per- 
ceived the  sacrifice  which  his  wounded  pride 
demanded ;  and  to  allay  his  anger,  or  rather 
anguish,  they  advised  him  next  day  to  ask  of 
the  king  an  order  to  hang  Mordecai ;  and,  as 
there  was  no  reason  to  fear  a  refusal,  to  cause 
the  gallows  to  be  instantly  prepared  for  his 
execution.  The  advice  pleased  Haman,  who 
gave  immediate  orders  for  the  erection  of  the 
gibbet. 

The  chapter  on  which  we  now  enter  opens  a 
new  scene  of  the  most  surprising  kind,  and 
represents  a  transaction,  by  which  Providence 
made  way  for  the  deliverance  of  the  Jews,  and 
the   destruction    of    their   implacable   enemy. 


WAKEFULNESS    OF    THE    KING.     165 

Having  arranged  his  plans  against  the  life  of 
Mordecai,  and  soothed  his  own  resentment  by 
the  prospect  of  speedy  revenge,  Haman  com- 
posed himself  to  rest.     But  sleep  fled  from  the 
eyes  of  Ahasuerus.     "  On  that  night  could  not 
the  king  sleep.^^     Various  are  the  causes  by 
which  this  kind  restorer  of  nature  is  prevented 
from  paying  her  nightly  visits.     She  is  put  to 
flight  by  whatever  deranges  the  body,  or  dis- 
composes the  mind,  by  the  working  of  any  of 
the  strong  passions,  such  as  anger,  fear,  revenge, 
grief,  or  joy,  as   well   as  by  sickness  or  pain. 
To  none  of  these  does  the  monarch  appear  to 
have    been   subject    on   the   present   occasion. 
We  read  of  no  bodily  malady  or  sudden  indis- 
position by  which  he  was  seized,  and  his  mind 
appears   to   have   been    unruflied   and   serene. 
He  made  no  complaint  to  his  servants.     It  was 
a    preternatural   wakefulness,   for    which    he 
could  not  account.     God,  who  suffered  Haman 
to  be  lulled  into  fatal  security,  waked  Ahasue- 
rus to  consideration,  and  the  same  hand  directed 
him  to  the  means  w^hich  he  employed  to  spend 
his  vigils.     He  did  not  call  for  instruments  of 


166         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

music,  by  which  the  Persian  monarchs  were 
wont  to  be  regaled,  and  the  melody  of  which 
might  have  induced  slumber ;  but  "  he  com- 
manded to  bring  the  book  of  the  records  of  the 
chronicles.^' 

Had  Ahasuerus  been  a  pious  man,  and  ac- 
quainted with  the  word  of  God,  he  would  have 
filled  up  the  watches  of  the  night  with  religious 
meditations,  or  called  for  the  book  of  the  law  of 
the  Lord,  in  which  he  would  have  found  both, 
instruction  and  entertainment.  Next  to  that  the 
book  for  which  he  sent  was  the  most  suitable 
for  a  prince,  for  it  would  inform  him  as  to  the 
state  of  his  kingdom,  and  remind  him  of  duties 
which  he  had  neglected  in  the  midst  of  his 
pleasures.  There  are  two  things  with  which 
great  people  are  little  versant — meditation  and 
reading.  But  they  will  prefer  the  latter  to  the 
former.  Perhaps  Ahasuerus  acted  upon  the 
maxim,  Anything  to  beguile  the  tedious  hour ; 
perhaps  the  secret  influence  which  withdrew 
slumber  from  his  eyelids  threv/  an  air  of  seri- 
ousness over  his  spirits,  and  prompted  him  to 
graver  employments. 


LOYALTY.  167 

In  the  course  of  reading,  the  servant  came  to 
that  part  of  the  record  which  contained  the 
minute  of  Mordecai's  having  discovered  a  con- 
spiracy against  the  life  of  the  king  by  two  of  his 
chamberlains.     The  Jewish  doctors  have  a  tra- 
dition, that  the  book  opened  at  this  place,  and 
the  reader,  thinking  the  narrative  of  too  gloomy 
a  cast  for  the  present  feehngs  of  the  monarch, 
turned  to  another  place,  upon  which  the  leaves 
flew  back,  so  that  he  was  forced  to  begin  with 
the  paragraph  which  first  struck  his  eye.    This 
savours  of  the  fabulous  stories  to  w^iich  the 
modern  Jews  are  so  much  addicted,  and  is  only 
fit  to  be  brought  forward  as  a  foil  to  the  natural 
simplicity  of  the  inspired  narrative. 

We  should  not  be  too  anxious  to  proclaim 
our  good  services,  nor  offended  at  their  being 
forgotten.  God  will  bring  them  to  light,  and 
that  at  the  most  proper  season.  Mordecai 
could  have  reminded  the  king  of  the  claim  which 
he  had  upon  him  through  the  same  channel  by 
which  he  had  conveyed  the  information  of  his 
danger  ;  but  he  was  silent  and  content.  It  was 
enough  to  him  that  he  had  done  his  duty  as  an 


163  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

honest  man  and  a  loj-al  subject  And  still  he 
was  silent;  though  the  king,  led  away  by 
wicked  counsel,  had  unconsciously  rendered 
him  evil  for  good,  hatred  for  love,  by  delivering 
him  and  all  his  people  to  the  sword,  without  the 
allegation  of  a  single  crime.  Had  the  king 
called  him  to  account  for  transgressing  his 
orders,  by  not  doing  honour  to  his  favourite, 
(the  only  ground  on  which  he  could  be  charged 
with  a  failure  in  duty,)  he  had  only  to  put  the 
question.  What  honour  has  been  done  to  the 
man  who  saved  the  king's  life?  to  force  from 
the  royal  lips  the  confession,  "  Thou  art  more 
righteous  than  I."  But  still  he  was  silent.  If 
we  reflect  on  the  humilitj^  the  modesty,  and 
self-denial  of  Mordecai,  we  shall  be  cautious  in 
condemning  his  refusal  to  bow  to  Haman,  and 
be  in  no  danger  of  classing  him  with  those  who 
are  "  presumptuous,  self-willed,  and  not  afraid 
to  speak  evil  of  dignities." 

It  was  impossible  for  Ahasuerus  to  listen  to 
the  record  of  the  danger  to  which  his  life  had 
been  exposed,  without  feeling  a  transient  emotion 
of  gratitude  to  Pro\ddence  for  the  narrow  escape 


I  X  G  R  A  T  I  T  U  D  E    OF    THE    WORLD.     1 G9 

which  he  had  made,  and  this  produced  a  corres- 
pondent feeling  of  compunctioa  for  the  ingrati- 
tude which  he  had  shown  to  .the  instrument  of 
his  preservation.  The  name  of  Mordecai  was 
not  unknown  to  the  king.  It  had,  no  doubt, 
been  pronounced  in  his  ears,  and  that_  in  no 
indifferent  accents,  by  the  lips  of  the  queen.  It 
must  have  been  mentioned  in  the  course  of  con- 
versation on  the  interesting  subject,  and  perhaps 
his  intention  was  to  have  rewarded  him ;  but 
more  urgent  suitors  had  pressed  forward,  and 
he  was  forgotten.  Now,  however,  conscience 
rang  in  the  royal  ear  the  name  of  Mordecai. 
He  tasked  his  merhoiy.  Where  is  he  ?  what 
has  been  done  to  him  ?  And  memory  answered, 
"  Nothing."'  But  when  memory  tells  us  our 
faults,  we  are  ready  to  appeal  from  her  testi- 
mony, and  to  put  the  question  to  others,  as  if  we 
believed  her  to  be  untrue.  "  The  king  said. 
What  honour  and,  dignity  hath  been,  done  to 
Mordecai  for  this?  Then  said  the  king's  ser- 
vants, that  ministered  to  him.  There  is  nothing 
done  for  kimP  O  ye  smooth  sycophants,  where 
were  your  tongues  before  ?  Ye  were  not  igno- 
15 


170  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

rant  of  the  important  service  performed  by  Mor- 
decai.  Ye  knew  well  the  mean  office  which 
he  continued  to  discharge.  Why  did  you  not 
embrace  the  opportunity  which  j^our  access  to 
the  king's  person  gave  you  to  remind  him  of 
the  merits  of  a  neglected  servant  ?  You  had 
too  many  favours  to  ask  for  yourselves  and  your 
friends.  Oh !  if  Haman  had  come  a  little 
earlier,  you  would  have  abetted  his  plea,  and 
might  have  been  found  bearing  witness  that 
Mordecai  had  blasphemed  the  king  and  his 
favourite. 

We  should  not,  and  good  men  will  not,  look 
for  their  reward  from  creatures.  The  world  is 
full  of  ingratitude.  It  is  often  seen  that  "  the 
greatest  merits  and  the  best  services  are  for- 
gotten, and  go  unrewarded  among  men;  little 
honour  is  done  to  those  who  best  deserve  it,  are 
fittest  for  it,  and  would  do  most  good  with  it."* 
Modest  merit  is  overlooked,  while  the  aspiring, 
the  ambitious,  and  the  time-serving  rise  to  hon- 
our and  riches.     Nor  is  ingratitude  confined  to 

*  Henry. 


171 

courts.  It  is  the  vice  of  the  low  as  well  as  the 
high — the  sovereign 'peojole,  as  well  as  sovereign 
princes.  "  There  was  a  little  city,  and  few  men 
within  it;  and  there  came  a  great  king  against 
it,  and  besieged  it,  and  built  great  bulwarks 
against  it.  Now  there  was  fomid  in  it  a  poor 
wise  man,  and  he,  by  his  wisdom,  delivered  the 
city ;  yet  no  man  remembered  that  same  poor 
man.  Wisdom  is  better  than  strength ;  never- 
theless the  poor  man's  wisdom  is  despised^  and 
his  words  are  not  heard."  Ingratitude  to  God 
and  to  his  servants  are  nearly  allied.  "  The 
children  of  Israel  remembered  not  the  Lord 
their  God,  who  had  delivered  them  out  of  the 
hands  of  all  their  enemies  on  every  side :  neither 
showed  they  kindness  to  the  house  of  Jerubbaal, 
namely,  Gideon,  according  to  all  the  goodness 
which  he  had  showed  unto  Israel."  You  know 
who  it  was  that  "  went  about  doing  good  ;"  and 
yet,  as  a  reward,  the  Jews  sought  to  stone,  and 
at  last  crucified  him. 

"  Think  upon  me,  my  God,  for  good,  accord- 
ing to  all  that  I  have  done  for  this  people." 
The  king  of  heaven  has  his  records — his  "  book 


172  LECTURES    OX    ESTHER, 

of  remembrance,"  in  which  are  entered  not 
only  the  good  deeds  which  they  have  done  in 
his  service,  but  also  their  dutiful  words  and 
their  gracious  thoughts.  This  book  is  not  only 
written  before  him,  but  it  is  always  open  before 
him.  He  whom  you  serve  slumbers  not  nor 
sleeps  at  any  time.  He  stands  in  no  need  of 
remembrancers,  and  no  adversary  can  poison 
his  ear  to  their  prejudice.  He  may  delay  the 
reward,  but  he  will  not  baulk  their  expectations. 
He  "  is  not  unrighteous,  to  forget  your  work 
and  labour  of  love,  which  ye  have  showed 
toward  his  name."  When  the  books  are  open- 
ed, he  shall  read,  "  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye 
gave  me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me 
drink  ;  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in  ; 
naked  and  ye  clothed  me;  I  was  sick,  and  ye 
visited  me ;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto 
me." 

If  we  are  thoroughly  convinced  of  our  neglect 
of  duty,  and  sorry  on  account  of  it,  we  will  lose 
no  time  in  repairing  the  injury.  Satan  is  ahvays 
at  hand  to  divert  us  from  a  good  purpose.  Had 
Ahasuerus  delayed  acting  on  his  present  im- 


god's  reward  of  services.   173 

pressions,  a  temptation  would  have  assailed  him 
which  might  have  proved  too  strong-,  and  led 
him  to  add  cruelty  to  ingratitude,  by  taking 
away  the  life  of  one  who  had  preserved  his 
own. 

"  The  king  said,  Who  is  in  the  court  ?    And 
the  king's  servants  said  unto  him,  Behold,  Ha- 
man  standeth  in  the  court ;"  for  he  had  already 
come,  early  as  the  hour  was,  "  to  speak  unto  the 
king  to  hang  Mordecai  on  the  gallows  that  he 
had  prepared  for  him^     By  such  cross  pur- 
poses, on  the  part  of  men,  does  the  Most  High 
accomplish  his  counsels.     We  weary  ourselves 
and  perplex  others  with  intricate  questions  as 
to  the  manner  in  which  God  influences  the  free 
volitions  of  men ;  it  would  he  more  profitable 
were  we  to  observe  how  he  overrules  the  pas- 
sions and  free  actions  of  men  for  promoting  his 
own  holy  and  wise  designs.     It  is  equally  easy 
Avith  him,  the  All-wise  and  All-powerful,  to 
gain  his  end  by  the  conflicting  as  by  the  com- 
bined purposes  of  the  instruments  whom   he 
employs:  just  as  the  engineer  completes   his 
machine  by  a  combination  of  wheels  which  ap- 
15* 


174  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

pear  to  a  superficial  eye  to  be  moving  in  confu- 
sion, and  to  counteract  one  another.  Herod 
and  Pilate  became  friends,  when  they  had  to 
perform  an  important  part  in  that  work  which 
"his  hand  and  counsel  had  determined  before 
to  be  done"  for  the  salvation  of  his  elect.  And 
on  the  occasion  before  us,  the  opposite  designs 
which  the  king  and  his  favottrite  had  formed, 
unknown  to  one  another,  are  made  to  forward 
heaven's  plan  for  the  enlargement  and  deliver- 
ance of  the  Jews.  '•  Lo,  these  are  parts  of  his 
ways,  but  how  little  a  portion  is  heard  of  him!'' 
"  Whoso  is  wise,  and  will  observe  these  things, 
even  they  shall  understand  the  loving-kindness 
of  the  Lord." 

Haman  is  brought  in,  and  before  he  has  time 
to  present  his  request,  the  king  asks  his  advice 
on  the  point  which  at  present  engrossed  his 
thoughts, — "  What  shall  be  clone  to  the  man 
whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour  ?^^  How 
natural  the  parenthesis  which  fills  up  the 
pause  between  the  question  of  the  monarch  and 
the  reply  of  the  courtier !  "  Noio  Haman 
thought  in  his  heart''  (O  how  many  thoughts 


HAM  AN    OUTWITTED.  175 

are  indulged  in  the  heart  which  we  dare  not 
express  !)  ''to  whom  would,  the  king  delight  to 
do  honour  more  than  to  myself  P^ — There  are 
two  things  we  ought  especially  to  guard  against, 
because  the  deceitfulness  of  the  heart  leads  us 
to  indulge  them — too  high  an  opinion  of  our. 
selves,  and  two  high  an  estimate  of  the  place 
we  hold  in  the  good  opinion  of  others.     The 
conceit  we  have  of  our  own  merits  leads  us  to 
think  that  we  stand  as  high  in  the  judgment  of 
others ;  and  reliance  on  the  good  opinion  of 
others  feeds  our  vanity  and  pride.     The  high 
favour  which  the  king  had  shown  him,  and  the 
solid  as  well  as  showy  proofs  of  it  which  he 
had  experienced,  had  so  inflamed  and  puffed  up 
his  mind,  that  he  thought  nothing  too  great  for 
him  to  expect,  and  flattered  himself  that  the 
royal  mind  w^as  occupied  with  nothing  but  de- 
vising methods  for  his  aggrandizement.     Who 
so  worthy  of  this  new  honour  as  I  ?  and  who 
bids  so  fair  for  obtaining  it  ?     "The  pride  of 
thine  heart  hath  deceived  thee,"  Haman ! 

Thinking  that  he  was  devising  honours  for 
himself,  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  could  not 


17(j  L  K  C  T  IJ  II  E  S    ON     !■:  S  T  II  I",  R  . 

ho  accused  ofscclvint^  his  own  honour,  Ik;  (h^visod 
liberally.  He  had  already  been  londcd  willi  so 
many  suh.stantial  marks  of  royal  niag'nificence, 
that  it  was  didicult  to  ask  anythin;^^  new;  but 
ambition  sharjx  ned  his  invention.  His  ])ro- 
posal  amounted  to  tliis,  that  he  should  appear 
and  be  honoured  for  a  time  as  kinc;-.  "  liCt  the 
man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour  l)o  clad 
in  the  royal  apparel,  Avith  the  royal  crown  upon 
his  head  ;  let  him  be  set  on  the  king's  own 
horse,  and  let  one  of  the  king's  most  noble 
princf.s,  as  his  laccjiicy,  lead  liini  throiiijh  the 
streets  of  the  city,  and  proclaim  before  him, 
Thus  shall  it  be  done  to  the  man  whom  the  king 
delighteth  to  honour." 

riaving  given  his  advice,  Haman,  with  afTect- 
cd  indifference,  but  real  imj)atience,  waits  for 
the  words,  "  'I'hou  art  the  man."  But  how  was 
he  thunderstruck  when  instead  of  this,  the  king 
said,  with  a  tone  of  satisfaction  and  firmness, 
"  Make,  haste  and  take  the  appard,  and  the 
horse  as  ihou  hast  said,  and  do  even  so  to  Mor- 
dtcai  the  Jeii\  that  sillcth  at  the  klng^s  gate  : 
let  nothing  fail  of  all  that  thou  hast  spoken  /" 


II  A  M  A  N    n  TJ  M  B  L  K  D  .  1 77 

These  words  turned  the  cars  of  Ilaman  into 
lead,  and  his  heart  ijito  stone.  They  unmanned 
him.  The  haughtiness  of  his  heart  was  hrought 
down,  his  pride  was  laid  low,  not  in  humility 
and  penitence,  but  in  abject  and  mean  prostra- 
tion. Had  it  been  any  other — had  it  been  even 
a  rival  courtier,  to  whom  this  homage  was  to  be 
paid,  the  disappointment,  though  sore,  would  not 
have  been  mortal ;  but  Mordecai  the  Jew,  the 
man  whom  above  all  others  he  hated,  and  whom 
he  had  doomed  to  an  ignominious  death,  that 
he  should  be  so  honoured — that  this  honour 
should  have  been  pronounced  by  Hainan  him- 
self— and  that  he  should  jje  obliged  to  carry  it 
all  into  execution !  Can  we  conceive  a  blacker 
mortification  to  a  haughty  and  malicious  spirit? 
"Where  the  word  of  a  king,"  and  especially 
a  despotic  king,  "is,  there  is  a  power."  Ha- 
man  knew  the  consequences  of  disobedience, 
and  he  was  not  the  man  to  encounter  them.  A 
person  of  courage  would  have  met  death  sooner 
than  submitted  to  such  degradation  ;  but  he  who 
can  coolly  contrive  abloody  massacre  to  avenge 
a  petty  affront,  is  a  coward  at  heart,  and  will 


178  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

submit  to  any  indignity  to  save  his  life  or  his 
falling-  fortunes.  Accordingly,  the  humbled 
favourite  carried  into  execution  the  orders  of  his 
master — took  Mordccai  from  the  gate,  clothed 
him  with  the  royal  apparel,  placed  him  on  the 
king's  horse,  with  the  crown,  and  leading  him 
through  the  streets  of  the  capital,  proclaimed 
him  as  the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth  ta 
honour. 

In  this  manner  does  God  sometimes  make  the 
enemies  of  his  church  and  servants  to  honour 
them.  He  not  only  makes  the  sinners'  hands  to 
forge  the  snares  in  which  themselves  are  caught, 
but  he  compels  them  to  weave  the  crown  and 
impose  it  on  the  head  of  the  righteous.  "  I  will 
make  them  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan,  which 
say  they  are  Jews  and  are  not,  but  do  lie ;  be- 
hold I  will  make  them  to  come  and  worship 
before  thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I  have  loved 
thee."  "  And  kings  shall  be  thy  nursing  fathers, 
and  their  queens  thy  nursing  mothers ;  they 
shall  bow  down  to  thee  with  their  face  toward 
the  earth,  and  lick  up  the  dust  of  thy  feet;  and 
thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord :  for  they 
shall  not  be  ashamed  that  wait  for  me." 


179 


LECTURE    ELEVENTH. 

Esther  VI.    12—14. 

A  nd  Mordectti  came  again  to  tlie  king's  gate.  But  Human 
hasted  to  his  Jiouse  mourning,  and  having  his  head  cov- 
ered. And  Haman  told  Zeresh  his  wife  and  all  his 
friends  every  thing  that  Jiad  befallen  him.  Then  said  his 
wise  men  and  Zerish  his  wife  unto  him,  If  Mordecai  be 
of  the  seed  of  the  Jeics,  before  ichom  tlwu  hast  begun  to 
fall,  thou  shalt  not  prevail  against  him,  but  shatt  surely 
fall  before  him.  And  ichile  they  were  yet  talking  with 
him,  came  the  king's  chamberlains,  and  hasted  to  bring 
Haman  unto  the  banquet  that  Esther  had  prepared. 

A  CAREFUL  observer  of  what  befalls  him,  or 
passes  before  his  eyes,  will  perceive  many  in- 
stances of  providential  management  in  the 
course  of  an  ordinary  life ;  and  if  he  be  of  a 
devotional  spirit,  will  find  ample  reason  for  con- 
fessing, "  O  Lord !  I  know  that  the  way  of  man 
is  not  in  himself:  it  is  not  in  man  that  walk- 


180         LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

eth  to  direct  his  steps."  Man's  goings,  the  pre- 
parations of  the  heart,  and  the  answer  of  the 
tongue,  are  all  of  the  Lord.  Man  proposeth, 
but  God  disposeth  ;  and  how  remote  from  their 
intentions  is  the  issue  to  which  he  brings 
the  matter,  and  in  the  accomplishment  of 
which  they  are  sometimes  made  unconsci- 
ously instrumental !  But  there  are  special 
acts  of  Providence  in  which  the  divine  hand  is 
to  be  seen  conspicuously,  though  not  miracu- 
lously,— works  ^vhich  are  effected  by  such  a 
complicated  display  of  wisdom  and  prescience 
as  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  most  careless, 
and  make  the  most  reluctant  to  own,  "  This  is 
the  finger  of  God !"  Such  have  often  been 
the  deliverances  which  God  hath  wn'ought  for 
his  people,  by  defeating  the  plots  of  their  ene- 
mies and  turning  them,  to  their  own  destruction. 
Haman  had  come  at  an  early  hour  to  the 
palace,  with  the  view  of  asking  permission  to 
hang  Mordecai  on  the  gallows  which  he  had 
already  prepared  for  him.  But  He,  in  whose 
hand  are  the  hearts  of  kings,  had  paid  an  ear- 
lier visit,  and  pre-occupied  the  mind  of  Ahasne- 


AMBITION.  181 

rus  with  very  different  thouglits.  The  favourite 
is  called  in,  and  is  prevented  from  offering  his 
request  by  the  question, — "  What  shall  be  done 
to  the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  hon- 
our ?"  Ah !  had  Haman  suspected  the  direc- 
tion in  which  the  roj^al  favour  lay,  he  would 
have  returned  a  very  different  answer ;  and  if 
he  durst  have  expressed  what  was  uppermost  in 
his  heart,  it  would  have  been,  "  Let  him  be 
elevated  fifty  cubits  high,  on  a  gallows."  But 
*'he  thought  in  his  heart.  To  whom  would  the 
king  delight  to  do  honour  more  than  to  my- 
self?" Now,  Haman,  thou  art  fairly  caught  in 
the  meshes  of  thy  own  selfish  ambition.  O, 
how  insatiable  is  pride  and  the  love  of  honour ! 
One  would  have  thought  that  this  man  was 
already  sated  with  honours,  and  had  attained 
the  summit  of  his  wishes.  We  find  him  lately 
dilating  before  his  friends  on  his  good  fortune, 
and  one  would  have  thought  he  was  satisfied, 
and  would  have  been  completely  happy,  pro- 
vided one  small  insect,  which  was  an  eye-sore 
to  him,  had  been  brushed  away.  But  no  sooner 
is  the  word  "  honour"  pronounced,  than  it  ap- 
16 


182  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

pears  that  he  is  as  avaricious  of  it  as  ever  he 
had  been.  The  more  that  an  ambitious  man 
obtains,  the  more  he  requires.  Why  ?  Is  it 
owing  to  the  greatness  of  his  stomach?  No, 
but  the  lightness  of  the  food,  which  serves  but 
to  whet,  not  to  satisfy  the  appetite.  The  man 
that  lives  on  worldly  honours  never  saith,  "  It 
is  enough,"  because  "  he  fcedeth  on  the  w^ind." 
But  the  chief  thing  that  we  are  to  notice 
here  is,  that  Haman's  ruling  passion  is  made 
the  means,  first  of  his  mortification,  and  uki- 
mate]y  of  his  ruin.  His  rage  against  Morde- 
cai  was  a  secondary  passion — it  was  the  effect 
of  wounded  pride,  and  though,  as  an  Amale- 
kite,  he  had  an  hereditary  enmity  to  the  Jewish 
jrace,  he  might  not  have  thought  of  signalizing 
jt  by  extirpa-ing  them,  had  not  he  received  an 
affront  from  a  Jew.  He  does  not  therefore 
say,  "For  the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth 
to  honour,  let  his  greatest  enemy,  who  alone 
had  withheld  from  him  his  due  honour,  be  de- 
livered into  his  hand,  that  he  may  do  with  him 
what  he  pleaseth."  No  doubt  Haman  flattered 
himself  that  he  would  obtain  the  life  of  Morde- 


OVERRULING     PROVIDENCE.     183 

cai  at  any  time,  and  that  it  would  cost  him  only 
a  word  after  the  additional  honour  which  he 
eagerly  anticipated.  But  this  does  not  detract 
from  the  overruling  providence  of  God,  which 
made  "his  own  wickedness,"  his  pride, to  "cor- 
rect him."  It  is  not  merely  the  external  actions 
of  men,  but  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  their 
hearts  also,  which  are  subordinate  to  the  control 
of  the  Governor  of  the  universe.  The  heart  of 
the  king  who  meditated  honour  for  Mordecai 
and  the  heart  of  the  favourite  who  devised  honour 
for  himself,  how  adverse  soever  in  themselves, 
are  made  to  conspire  in  accomplishing  the  pur^ 
poses  of  heaven. 

Haman  was  forced  to  carry  his  own  advice 
into  execution,  and,  however  reluctantly,  to 
grace  the  triumph  of  Mordecai.  Having 
clothed  him  with  the  roj^al  apparel,  and  set  him 
on  the  king's  own  horse,  with  the  royal  crown, 
he  led  him  through  the  streets  of  the  capital, 
proclaiming,  as  he  went, — "  Thus  shall  it  be 
done  to  the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to 
honour." 

In  the  narrative  which  follows,  we  have  an 


104         LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

example  of  that  decency  and  propriety  with 
respect  to  circumstances  which  is  always  ob- 
served in  Scripture,  and  which  may  be  traced 
in  what  is  omitted,  as  well  as  what  is  introduced. 
Nothing  is  said  of  what  passed  between  Mor- 
decai  and  Haman,  either  at  the  beginning  or 
close  of  the  ceremony.  The  inspired  writer 
gives  us  no  account  of  the  acclamations  of  the 
multitude  whom  the  spectacle  drew  together. 
They  would  no  doubt  act,  poor  souls,  as 
they  are  always  accustomed  to  do,  hail  the  fa- 
vourite of  the  day,  and  echo  back  the  voice  of 
the  herald.  Let  them  alone — they  would  have 
done  the  same  for  Haman.  We  are  even  left 
to  conjecture  what  were  the  thoughts  of  the 
judicious  few,  both  Jews  and  natives,  who  might 
be  led  by  this  strange  event  to  augur  the  ap- 
proaching fall  of  the  arrogant  prime  minister, 
and  the  rising  fortunes  of  the  object  of  his  hatred. 
The  sacred  narrative  passes  over  these  things, 
and  hastens  to  the  crisis. 

The  pageant  is  now  over,  and  we  see,  issuing 
from  the  dispersing  crowd,  the  two  principal 
persons,  moving  in  different  directions,  and  in 
opposite  moods  of  mind. 


MORDECAl's    HUMILITY.  185 

"■' Mordeccd  came  again  to  the  king's  gate. 
But  Hainan  hasted  to  his  house  mourning,  and 
having  his  head  covered.''''  There  is  a  double 
portrait  drawn  with  one  stroke,  but  it  is  by  the 
hand  of  a  master  !  We  see  the  hearts  of  the 
two  men  depicted  in  their  loolcs  and  gait ;  the 
composure  and  humility  of  the  one,  and  the 
confusion  and  bitter  mortification  of  the  other. 
These  two  lines  give  us  a  deeper  insight  into 
the  characters  of  the  men  than  a  would-be 
painter  could  have  conveyed  by  the  most  elabo- 
rate representation. 

"  Mordecai  came  again  to  the  "king's  gateP 
He  did  not  remain  to  prolong  his  triumph,  and 
to  drink  in  the  incense  offered  by  the  crowd. 
He  did  not  go  to  his  own  house,  and  gather  to- 
gether his  friends  and  countrymen  to  tell  them 
of  his  high  honours,  and  to  receive  their  con- 
gratulations. He  did  not  hurry  back  to  the 
palace  in  expectation  of  receiving  some  more 
substantial  mark  of  the  royal  favour.  He  did 
not  seek  an  audience  of  the  king,  to  bring  an 
accusation  against  his  mortal  enemy.  But  he 
came  again  to  the  king's  gate  from  which  he 
16* 


186  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

had  been  taken,  and  resumed  his  former  place 
as  a  servant.  He  was  not  elated — he  was  not 
even  discomposed  by  his  honours,  "i/e  stood 
not  up,  nor  movecl,^^  for  all  that  Haman  had 
done  to  him. 

"  If  the  spirit  of  the  ruler  rise  up  against 
thee,"  (saith  the  wise  man,)  "  leave  not  thy 
place."  But  it  is  still  more  difficult  to  keep 
our  place,  when  we  are  visited  with  the  favour 
of  the  ruler.  Few  can  bear  honours  and  dig- 
nities wdth  equanimity,  even  when  they  come 
upon  them  gradually:  but  such  sudden  and 
high  advancement  was  enough  to  make  any 
ordinary  person  giddy,  to  cause  him  to  forget 
himself,  and  behave  unseemly.  What  fatal  ef- 
fects upon  the  head  and  heart  do  we  often  wit- 
ness in  persons  who  have  all  at  once  been  raised 
from  poverty  to  riches  and  rank.  Even  good 
men  are  not  always  proof  against  the  intoxi- 
catmg  influence  of  such  transitions.  How  inco- 
herently did  the  disciples  talk  on  the  mount  of 
transfiguration  !  That  vessel  needs  to  be  well 
ballasted,  which,  after  being  long  becalmed, 
has  all  its  sails  at  once  filled  with  a  favourable 
gust  of  wind. 


But  Mordecai  kept  his  place ;  like  a  gallant 
ship,  firmly  moored  in  a  bay,  which  during  a 
flood-tide  heaves,  and  seems  for  a  time  borne 
along  with  the  lighter  craft,  but,  obeying  its 
anchor,  comes  round  and  resumes  its  former 
position.  The  pageantry  of  an  hour  could  not 
unsettle  his  mind ;  he  regarded  it  in  its  true 
light — a  vain  show.  Had  he  had  a  choice, 
he  would  have  declined  it ;  as  it  was,  he  suffer- 
ed rather  than  enjoyed  it.  It  may  be  difficult  to 
determine  which  of  the  two  felt  most  awkward 
and  constrained — Haman  in  conferring,  or 
Mordecai  in  receiving  the  extravagant  honours. 
Not  that  the  latter  was  insensible  or  a  stranger 
to  feeling  on  the  occasion.  But  then  he  view- 
ed it,  not  as  a  prelude  to  his  own  aggrandizement, 
but  as  an  earnest  of  the  deliverance  of  his  peo- 
ple ;  and  as  his  confidence  of  this  event  rested 
on  surer  grounds  than  his  own  advancement 
or  the  influence  of  his  daughter,  his  heart  was 
filled  with  astonishment  and  with  gratitude 
at  the  prospect ;  he  possessed  his  soul  in  pa- 
tience— he  stood  still,  and  waited  for  the  salva- 
tion of  God. 


188  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

But  let  us  now  turn  to  Hainan.  He  had  not 
confidence  to  return  to  the  palace  to  present  the 
request  for  which  he  had  visited  it  in  the  morn- 
ing. Nor  could  he  endure  the  sight  of  the 
people,  before  whom  he  feh  himself  dishonour- 
ed. But  he  "  hasted  to  his  house,  mourjiing, 
a7id  with  his  head  covered.''^  Had  Haman  been 
a  man  of  virtue  and  true  dignity  of  mind,  this 
occurrence  could  not  have  disturbed  his  peace, 
far  less  broken  his  heart.  "  Why  %  what  harm 
has  it  done  to  me  ?  I  have  been  selected  as  '  one 
of  the  king's  most  noble  princes,^  to  do  this  tem- 
porary honour  to  a  man  who  saved  the  royal 
life."  At  most  he  would  have  regarded  it  as 
one  of  those  freaks  which  fortune  delights  to 
play  in  arbitrary  courts,  and  which  break  the 
dull  monotony  of  a  palace.  He  would  have  said, 
"  I  have  seen  servants  riding  upon  horses,  and 
princes,  like  servants,  walking  on  the  earth," 
But  the  man  who  could  complain  that  all  his 
wealth  and  honours  "  availeth  him  nothing,  so 
long  as  he  saw  Mordecai  the  Jew  sitting  at  the 
king's  gate,"  could  not  fail  to  be  stung  to  the 
quick  by  the  recent  transaction.     Hatred,  and 


MISERABLE  COMFORTERS.   189 

disappointment,  and  mortified  pride,  rankled  in 
his  breast,  and,  to  torment  him  still  more, 
awakened  remorse  for  the  past,  and  fearful 
forebodings  of  the  future.  Surely  such  a  sight 
is  sufficient  to  cure  those  who  have  been  smitten 
with  pride,  or  with  envy  at  worldly  greatness. 
It  was  some  relief  to  Haman  to  open  his 
lacerated  breast  to  his  wife  and  friends.  "  He 
told  them  every  thing  that  had  befallen  himP 
But  he  found  them  "miserable  comforters." 
O  the  unhappiness  of  wicked  men,  that  their  con- 
fidential friends  and  advisers  are  as  unprincipled 
as  themselves,  and  equally  destitute  of  true  wis- 
dom !  They  are  powerful  to  encourage  them 
in  evil,  and  inflame  their  base  passions,  but  feeble 
to  extricate  them  from  those  difHcuhies  into 
which  their  foolish  advice  had  contributed  to 
betray  them.  Though  a  good  man  has  no 
friends  at  hand  to  counsel  or  comfort  him  in  the 
day  of  trial,  he  can  always  go  to  the  word  and 
throne  of  God.  The  ungodly  have  no  such 
refuge.  "  Wo  unto  them  that  decree  unrighte- 
ous decrees,  and  that  write  grievousness  which 
they  have  prescribed !     What  will  ye  do  in  the 


190  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

day  of  visitation,  and  in  the  desolation  which 
shall  come  from  far  ?  to  whom  will  ye  flee  for 
help?  and  where  will  ye  leave  your  glory?" 

It  was  but  the  day  before  that  Haman  con- 
sulted them,  when,  instead  of  counselling  him 
to  lay  aside  his  deadly  hate  to  Mordecai,  or  at 
least  to  despise  him,  his  friends  had  fomented 
his  passion,  and  suggested  a  plan  for  gratifying 
it;  and  now  when  they  find  that  their  plot  has 
been  confounded,  "they  have  no  more  spirit  in 
them,"  and  all  that  they  can  do  is  to  pronounce 
his  doom,  and  torment  him  before  the  time  with 
their  prognostications.  Thus  Satan  first  tempted 
Judas  to  betray  his  Master,  and  then  left  him  to 
despair,  when  he  went  and  hanged  himself 
Believe  it,  my  friends,  tempters  to  sin  will,  at 
one  time  or  another,  in  this  world  or  the  next, 
prove  tormentors. 

"  Then  said  his  loise  men  and  Zeresh  his  wife 
unto  him,  If  Mordecai  be  of  the  seed  of  the  Jeivs, 
before  ivhom  thou  hast  begun  to  fall,  thou  shall 
not  prevail  against  him,  but  shall  surely  fall 
before  hi?n"  The  ascent  to  honour  and  great- 
ness, is  steep,  and  those  who  aspire  after  them 


must  climb  it  slowly  and  with  difficulty ;  but 
the  descent  is  easy,  and  so  precipitous,  that  when 
they  lose  their  footing,  they  fall  in  minutes  what 
they  rose  in  years.  There  is  no  medium 
between  the  loss  of  an  arbitrary  prince's  favour 
and  ruin.  Haman's  friends  anticipated  his  fall, 
for  irreligious  people  are  often  superstitious  ;  or 
Providence  may  have  employed  them  as  instru- 
ments to  warn  him  of  his  impending  fate.  And 
they  had  reason ;  for  it  is  dangerous  to  fight 
against  God  and  his  church.  "  Thou  shalt  not 
prevail  against  him,  but  shalt  surely  fall  before 
him." 

Well  did  Haman  know  that  "  Mordecai  was 
of  the  seed  of  the  Jews;''  and  these  words  were 
like  arrows  shot  at  him,  and  fixed  in  his  core. 
In  place  of  being  relieved  by  retiring  to  his  bed, 
or  having  time  to  allay  his  mortification,  while 
his  friends  were  consulting  with  him,  "  mes- 
sengers came  from  the  king  to  bring  him  to  the 
banquet  that  Esther  had  prepared.''''  Wretched 
Haman  !  in  one  day  thy  plagues  have  come 
upon  thee:  in  the  morning  thou  didst  decree 
honours  for  the  man  who  was  destined  to  be  thy 


192  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

successor ;  at  noon  thine  own  familiar  friends, 
and  the  wife  of  thy  bosom,  have  pronounced  thy 
doom ;  and  before  evening  it  shall  be  carried 
into  execution. 


193 


LECTURE     TWELFTH, 


Esther   VII.    1—6. 

So  the  king  and  Haman  came  to  banquet  with  Esther 
the  queen.  And  the  king  said  again  untj  Esther  on  the 
second  day  at  the  banquet  of  wine,  What  is  thy  petition, 
queen  Esther  ?  and  it  shall  be  granted  thee :  and  what 
is  thy  request  ?  and  it  shall  be  performed,  even  to  the  half 
of  the  kingdom.  Then  Esther  the  queen  answered  and 
said,  if  I  have  found  favour  in  thy  sight,  0  king,  and  if 
it  please  the  king,  let  my  life  be  given  me  at  my  petition, 
and  my  people  at  my  request :  For  tee  are  sold,  I  and 
my  people,  to  be  destroyed,  to  be  slain,  and  to  perish.  But 
if  we  had  been  sold  for  bondmen  and  bondwomen,  I  had 
held  my  tongue,  although  the  enemy  could  not  countervail 
the  king's  damage.  Then  the  king  Ahasuerus  answered 
and  said  unto  Esther  the  queen,  Who  is  he,  and  where  is 
he,  that  durst  presume  in  his  heart  to  do  so  ?  And  Esther 
said,  The  adversary  and  enemy  is  this  wicked  Haman. 
Then  Haman  was  afraid  before  the  king  and  the  queen. 

In  our  last  Lecture  we  viewed  the  contrast 
between  Mordecai  and  Haman,  in  their  states  of 
17 


194  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

mind,  at  the  close  of  the  ceremony  in  which 
the  latter  acted  as  herald  in  the  all  hut  royal 
honours  done  to  the  former.  Instead  of  being- 
elated  with  such  high  and  unexpected  marks  of 
favour,  Mordecai  came  again  to  the  king's  gate, 
and  resumed  his  humble  place  as  a  porter, 
inwardly  adoring  the  wonderful  interposition  of 
Providence,  but  viewing  it  not  as  a  prelude  to 
his  own  aggrandizement,  but  as  an  earnest  of  his 
people's  enlargement  and  deliverance.  "  But 
Havian  hasted  to  his  house,  mournings  and 
having  his  head  covered ;'''  an  emblem  of  his 
soul,  which  was  covered  with  all  that  confusion 
which  arises  from  mortified  pride  and  disap- 
pointed rage.  He  had  not  only  been  disap- 
pointed in  his  design  against  the  life  of  Mor- 
decai, but  employed  in  doing  honours  to  the  man 
Avhom  above  all  others  he  hated,  and  that  in 
pursuit  of  an  advice  which  he  himself  had  given 
under  the  fallacious  notion  that  he  was  the 
person  whom  the  king  intended  to  honour. 
Under  these  feelings,  he  told  all  that  had  befallen 
him  to  his  spouse  and  confidential  friends,  who 
aggravated  his  misery  by  reversing  the  opinion 


RECAPITULATION.  195 

which  they  had  lately  given,  and  predicting  his 
fall  before  that  man  whom  but  yesterday  they 
had  instigated  him  to  murder. 

In  surveying  a  providential  deliverance,  we 
may  see  much  wisdom  not  only  in  the  body  of 
the  work,  but  in  its  dress  and  drapery,  in  the 
time,  and  other  circumstances  with  which  it  is 
attended.     No  leisure  is  left  to  Haman  to  re- 
cover his  spirits,  or  to  prepare  for  the  storm 
which  was  ready  to  burst  upon  his  head.  "  While 
they  were  yet  talking  icith  him,  came  the  king's 
chamberlains,  and  hasted  to  bring  Haman  to  the 
banquet  that  Esther  hadprepared."     And  thus 
he  was  harried  away  like  a  felon  into  the  pre- 
sence of  his  judge  and  accuser,  self-condemned, 
exanimate,  and  ready  to  fall  before  the  word  of 
a  woman.     He  was  even  incapable  of  hearing 
the  voice  which  warned  him  as  he  went  along, 
"Agree  with  thine  adversary  quickly,  while 
thou  art  in  the  way  with  him  ;  lest  at  any  time 
the  adversary  deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the 
judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer,  and  thou  be 
cast  into  prison." 

"  So  the  king  and  Haman  came  to  the  banquet 


196  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

loith  Esther  the  queen  i^  literally,  it  is  ^' to 
drink  with  Esther  the  queen^^  for  in  Persia 
wine  is  served  up  at  the  beginning  of  an  enter- 
tainment, and  more  time  is  spent  in  drinking 
than  in  eating,  on  which  account  Esther's  feast 
is  called  repeatedly  "  a  hanquet  oftvineJ^ 

"  Give  strong  drink  to  him  that  is  ready  to 
perish,  and  wine  unto  those  that  be  of  heavy 
hearts.  Let  him  drink,  and  forget  his  poverty, 
and  remember  his  misery  no  more,"  says  Solo- 
mon. Haman  was  of  a  heavy  heart,  but  the 
cup  which  he  drank  was  that  which  is  put  into 
the  hand  of  the  criminal  before  mounting  the 
scaffold.  How  strikingly  marked  are  the  retri- 
butions of  Providence  !  It  was  most  probably 
when  banqueting  with  the  king,  and  after  the 
latter  was  merry  with  wine,  that  Haman  had 
obtained  the  consent  of  the  easy  monarch  to  the 
extermination  of  the  Jews,  and  now  it  is  at  a 
banquet  that  his  own  sentence  is  pronounced. 
He  had  given  others  "  gall  for  their  meat,  and 
vinegar  to  drink,"  and  now  "  his  table  is  turned 
into  a  snare,  and  that  which  should  have  been 
for  his  welfare  is  become  a  trap." 


ON.  197 

Esther  had  promised  to  acquaint  her  husband 
at  this  time  with  the  boon  for  which  she  had 
ventured  into  his  presence  uncalled;  and  the 
delicacy  which  had  hitherta  sealed  her  lips, 
increased  the  avidity  of  the  monarch  to  possess 
the  secret.  He,  therefore,  urges  her  a  third  time 
to  make  her  request,  adding-  the  gracious  assu- 
rance which  he  had  formerly  vouchsafed—-"  it 
shall  be  granted  thee — it  shall  be  performed, 
even  to  the  half  of  the  kingdom.''^  Had  Ahasue- 
rus  forgotten  the  subject,  and  continued  to  con- 
verse in  ever  so  pleasant  a  manner  upon  other 
topics,  Esther  might  have  felt  at  a  loss  hoAv  to 
introduce  what  behooved  to  be  painful  to  both 
her  guests;  but  thus  encouraged  and  assured, 
she  broke  silence.  How  must  the  monarch 
have  been  astonished,  when,  instead  of  asking, 
as  he  expected,  some  gift  to  a  servant  or  a  friend, 
she  proceeded  in  a  tone  which  marked  the  deep- 
est emotion  :  ''  If  I  have  found  favour  in  thy 
sight,  O  king,  and  if  it  please  the  king,  let  my 
life  be  given  me  at  my  petition,  and  my  people 
at  my  request .'"  "  Thy  life  !  thy  people  !  Thy 
life  is  my  life,  and  thy  people  my  people.  Who 
17* 


19S  LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

shall  harm  the  one  or  the  other  ?"  This  thought 
darted  through  the  mind  of  Ahasucrus  as  the 
queen  proceeded — "  For  we  are  sold,  I  and  my 
people,  to  be  destroyed,  to  be  slam,  and  to  perish; 
but  if  we  had  been  sold  for  bond-men  and  bond- 
icomeii,  I  had  held  m,y  tongue,  although  the  ene- 
my could  7iot  countervail  the  king's  damaged 
This  impassioned  declaration  convinced  the 
king  that  some  dark  and  diabolical  plot  must 
have  been  hatched,  though  he  could  not  conceive 
where  it  had  originated,  nor  how  it  had  been 
carried  on;  for  as  yet  neither  he  nor  Haman 
had  the  least  suspicion  that  Esther  was  of  Jew- 
ish extraction.  He  therefore  inquired,  in  a 
tone  of  anxiety  and  agitation,  "  Who  is  he,  and 
where  is  he,  that  durst  presume  in  his  heart  to 
do  so?"  Upon  which  Esther,  pointing  to  the 
prime  minister,  replied,  "  The  adversary  and 
enemy  is  this  icicked  Haman .'"  That  sentence 
was  a  dart,  which,  grazing  the  king,  pierced  the 
heart  of  the  favourite  on  whose  arm  he  leaned. 
Haman  now  saw  the  precipice  on  the  brink  of 
which  he  had  been  blindly  treading,  while  he 
was  laying  snares  for  others,  and  over  which  he 


HAJIAN     ACCUSED.  199 

was   now   ready   to   be   precipitated.      In   his 
malice  against  Mordecai  and  the  people  of  the 
Jews,  he  had  never  once  dreamed  of  the  relation- 
ship in  which  the  queen  stood  to  the  one  or  the 
other.     O,  if  he  had  known  this  sooner  !      But 
at  present  he  was  incapable  of  such  a  thought  ; 
one  feeling  only  occupied  and  filled  his  soul — 
fear,  and  an  anxiety  for  his  own  safety.    "  Then 
Havian  was  afraid    before  the   king  and  the 
queenP     "  The   thoughts   of    his   heart   were 
revealed."     If  the  king  had  forgotten  the  black 
transgression,  if  all  remembrance  of  the  pretexts 
on  which  the  barbarous  edict  was  obtained  had 
been  erased  from  his  mind,  if  he  did  not  recol- 
lect of  taking  the  signet  from  his  finger  and 
giving  it  to  the  favourite,  the  guilty  countenance 
of  Haman  was   enough   to   bring   the  whole 
scene  fresh  before  his  mind,  and  satisfy  him 
that  the  accusation  of  the  queen  was  just.     The 
scales  fell  from  his  eyes  ;  he  saw  the  individual, 
in  whom  he  had  so  long  implicitly  confided,  in 
all  the  vileness  and  deformity  of  his  character, 
and  he  sprung  from  him  as  one  would  do  from 
the  contact  of  a  serpent. 


200  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

Before  proceeding  farther  in  the  narrative, 
and  leaving  the  king  to  his  ruminations,  there 
are  some  reflections  on  what  we  have  cursorily- 
examined,  which  it  would  be  improper  to  omit. 

(I.)  When  called  to  speak  for  God  and  his 
people,  we  must  summon  up  our  courage,  and 
act  with  becoming  confidence  and  decision.  In 
undertaking  to  intercede  for  the  Jews,  Esther 
showed  a  becoming  diffidence  and  modesty,  and 
the  measures  which  she  took  were  characterized 
by  prudent  preparation  and  delay ;  but  when 
the  season  for  acting  came,  had  she  altogether 
held  her  peace,  under  the  influence  of  timidity 
or  false  prudence,  or  spoken  with  reserve  as  to 
the  designs  against  the  Jews,  and  their  author, 
she  would  have  been  rejected  as  an  instrument 
of  Jacob's  deliverance,  and  her  name  would  not 
have  stood  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  inspired 
books.  But  she  heard  and  obeyed  the  call, 
•'  Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb,  in  the  cause 
of  all  such  as  are  appointed  to  destruction.  Open 
thy  mouth,  judge  righteously,  and  plead  the 
cause  of  the  poor  and  needy."  And,  when 
required  by  the  king,  she  boldly  named  the 


PRACTICAL  REFLECTIONS.  201 

author  of  the  mischievous  plot- — giving  him  his 
true  character,  ''that  icicked  HamanP  To 
rise  up  for  God  against  evil  doers,  to  uphold  the 
standard  of  the  Lord  when  the  enemy  cometh 
in  like  a  flood,  to  lift  up  the  voice  like  a  trumpet 
against  all  impiety,  to  turn  the  battle  to  the  gates, 
to  stand  in  the  breach,  wrestling  against  princi- 
palities and  powers,  and  spiritual  wickednesses 
in  high  places,  requires  choice  spirits,  who  count 
not  their  lives  dear  unto  themselves,  so  that  they 
finish  their  ministry,  and  are  faithful  unto  death, 
(2.)  When  persons  resolve  singly  and  con- 
scientiously to  discharge  their  duty  in  critical 
circumstances,  they  are  often  wonderfully  help- 
ed. The  manner  in  v/hich  Esther  managed 
her  cause  was  admirable,  and  showed  that  her 
heart  and  tongue  were  under  a  superior  influ- 
ence and  management.  She  first  lays  before 
the  king  her  request  simply,  according  to  his 
desire,  thereby  appealing  to  his  royal  word 
which  he  had  plighted,  "  Let  my  life  be  given^ 
What  could  be  more  reasonable  than  this? 
She  then  states  the  danger  to  which  they  were 
exposed :   "/or  we  are  sold,  I  and  my  'people,  to 


202  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

he  destroy edP  She  next  urges  the  extremity 
of  the  case  as  a  reason  for  her  boldness  :  ''  If  ue 
had  been  sold  for  bond-men  and  bond-icomen, 
I  had  held  7ny  tongue.''^  In  fine,  she  enforces 
her  plea  by  urging  the  injury  which  would 
accrue  to  the  king  and  his  realm  by  the  execu- 
tion of  the  decree,  "  The  enemy  could  not  coun- 
tervail the  king's  damaged  Though  they  had 
been  sold  their  price  would  not  have  enriched 
thee,  but  have  been  a  real  loss,  how  much  more 
when  they  have  been  sold  for  nought,  and  given 
to  the  slaughter. 

For  a  preacher  to  spend  his  whole  time  in 
prayer,  without  any  other  preparation,  would 
be  worse  than  folly,  but  in  such  a  case  as  that 
of  Esther,  prayer  is  the  best  preparation, — it 
composes  the  mind  in  reliance  on  heaven's  sug- 
gestion and  aid.  In  such  a  case  it  is  not  art, 
but  nature,  sustained  and  directed  by  grace,  that 
is  available.  It  is  the  heart  that  must  speak, 
and  it  knows  best  how  to  body  forth  and  present 
its  own  feelings  and  desires.  The  most  eloquent 
orator,  and  the  most  cunning  artificer  of  periods, 
the  greatest  master  of  assemblies  could  not  have 


REFLECTIONS.  203 

sought  out  more  acceptable  words  than  those  of 
Esther.  How  becoming,  too,  her  manner  and 
the  spirit  with  which  she  spoke!  At  a  subse- 
quent interview  (ch.  viii.  3)  she  "fell  down  at 
his  feet  and  besought  him  with  tears;"  but  now 
she  stood  up  with  the  spirit  of  an  innocent  and 
injured  woman,  and  spoke  in  a  tone  which  drove 
the  tears,  which  had  started  into  her  eyes,  back 
to  their  cell.  When  placed  in  similar  circum- 
stances, we  are  warranted  to  feel  the  same  con- 
fidence in  reliance  on  the  promise  of  our  Lord  : 
"When  ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors 
and  kings  for  my  sake,  lake  no  thought  how  or 
what  ye  shall  speak ;  for  it  shall  be  given  you 
in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak." 

(3.)  It  is  possible  to  plead  the  most  interest- 
ing of  all  causes,  that  of  innocence  and  truth, 
with  moderation  and  all  due  respect.  The 
address  of  Esther  was  respectful  to  Ahasuerus 
as  a  king  and  a  husband,  "If  I  have  found 
favour  in  thy  sight,  O  king,  and  if  it  please  the 
king."  "Sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your 
hearts:  and  be  ready  always  to  give  an  answer 
to  every  man  that  asketh  you  a  reason  of  the 


204  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

hope  that  is  in  you,  with  meekness  and  fear." 
Esther  was  calm  as  well  as  courageous,  respect- 
ful as  well  as  resolute. 

(4.)  It  argues  no  want  of  respect  to  those  in 
authority,  to  describe  evil  counsellors  in  their 
true  colours,  in  bringing  an  accusation  against 
them,  or  in  petitioning  against  their  unjust  and 
destructive  measures.  "  The  adversary  and 
enemy  is  this  ivicked  Haman.'''' 

(5.)  It  is  horrible  to  think,  and  hard  to  believe 
that  there  is  such  wickedness  as  is  perpetrated 
in  the  world.  "  Who  is  he,  and  where  is  he,  that 
durst  presume  in  his  heart  to  do  so  ?" — We  can 
scarcel}'-  believe  that  a  wretch  could  be  found  to 
kill  his  brother,  that  a  son  could  rebel  against 
a  father  Avho  loved  him  as  his  own  soul,  and 
pluck  the  crown  from  his  head  to  place  it  on  his 
own !  We  might  well  ask,  Who  was  he  that 
betrayed  his  master,  and  where  did  they  live 
who  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory?  Who,  or 
where  is  he  that  dares  presume  to  say,  even  in 
his  heart,  There  is  no  God, — that  denies  a 
Providence,  profanes  the  name  and  day  of  God, 
turns  the  Bible  into  a  jest-book,  mocks  at  prayer 


REFLECTIONS.  205 

and  fasting,  and  scoffs  at  judgment  to  come? 
And  yet,  my  friends,  such  persons  are  to  be 
found  in  our  own  time — in  our  own  land — and 
in  high  places.     But, — 

(6.)  We  sometimes  startle  at  the  mention  of 
vices  to  which  we  ourselves  have  been  acces- 
sary. "  Who  is  he,  and  ichere  is  he,  that  durst 
presume  in  his  heart  to  do  so?^  He  is  not 
unknown  to  thee,  neither  is  he  far  from  thee,  O 
king.  Thou  art  the  man  !  When  Nathan  told 
David  the  story  of  the  poor  man  and  his  one 
lamb,  "  David's  anger  was  greatly  kindled" 
against  the  pitiless  ravisher,  and  he  swore  ven- 
geance against  him,  little  thinking  he  was  pro- 
nouncing his  own  doom.  When  our  Lord, 
after  speaking  the  parable  of  the  husbandman 
who  evil-entreated  the  messengers,  and  killed 
the  heir  of  the  proprietor,  asked  the  Jews  what 
they  thought  the  latter  would  do,  they  replied, 
"  He  will  miserably  destroy  those  wicked  men, 
and  let  out  his  vineyard  to  other  husbandmen, 
which  shall  render  him  the  fruits  of  the  seasons ;" 
not  thinking  that  he  had  spoken  this  parable 
against  them.  When  we  read  the  treatment 
18 


206  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

which  Christ  received  from  the  Jews,  we  feel  in- 
dignant at  their  conduct,  without  reflecting  that 
we  have  served  ourselves  heirs  to  their  sin,  and 
been  guilty  of  crucifying  the  Son  of  God  afresh 
by  our  unbelieving  rejection  of  his  grace,  and 
quenching  of  his  Spirit,  and  of  putting  him  to 
open  shame  by  our  untender,  unholy,  and  scan- 
dalous conduct  before  the  world.  And  how 
seldom  do  we  reflect  on  the  degree  in  which  we 
have  been  accessary  to  and  participant  with  the 
sins  of  others  by  our  bad  example,  our  criminal 
silence,  and  the  neglect  of  those  means  which 
were  in  our  power,  and  which  we  had  a  right 
to  employ  for  checking  them  ! 

(7.)  Persecution  is  not  more  uujust  than  it  is 
impolitic.  If  there  was  nothing  more  than  the 
loss  of  the  prayers  of  those  who  fear  God,  and 
the  incurring  of  the  wrath  of  him  in  whose  sight 
the  blood  of  saints  is  precious,  this  should 
be  sufficient  to  deter  rulers  from  persecution. 
Darius  and  Artaxerxes  showed  favour  to  those 
who  ministered  in  the  house  of  God  at  Jerusa- 
lem, "  that  they  might  pray  for  the  life  of  the 
king  and  his  sons,  and  that  there  might  not  be 


IMPOLICY    OF    PERSECUTION.    207 

wrath  against  the  realm."  How  lamentable  is 
it  that  the  rulers  in  Christian  countries  should 
be  more  blind  or  more  irreligious  than  heathen 
princes  !  Verily  the  kings  of  Persia  shall  rise 
up  in  the  judgment  against  the  rulers  of  Britain, 
and  shall  condemn  them.  But  though  religious 
considerations  should  be  set  aside,  persecution 
is  politically  bad.  "  The  enemy  could  not  coun- 
tervail the  kinii' s  damage"     If  the  Jews  had 

CD  O 

been  sold  for  bond-men,  their  price  would  not 
have  enriched  him,  and  his  diminished  revenues 
would  have  proclaimed  the  folly  of  the  measure. 
The  pious  are  always  the  most  sober,  indus- 
trious, peaceable,  truly  loyal,  and  least  apt  to 
engage  in  plots  and  conspiracies,  to  take  part  in 
riots,  to  speak  evil  of  dignities,  to  meddle  with 
them  that  are  given  to  change.  How  many 
provinces  have  been  depopulated,  and  impover- 
ished, and  turned  into  a  wilderness,  deprived  of 
arts,  and  manufactures,  and  commerce,  by  the 
sword  of  persecution  !  In  Germany,  France, 
and  Italy,  persecutions  have  taken  place,  from 
the  disastrous  effects  of  which  these  countries 
have  not  recovered  for  ages. 


208 


LECTURE    THIRTEENTH. 


Esther  VII.    7 — 10. 

And  the  king  arising  from  the  hanquet  oficine  in  his  wrath, 
went  into  the  palace  garden ;  and  Haman  stood  tip  to 
make  request  for  his  life  to  Esther  the  queen ;  for  he  saw 
that  there  teas  evil  determined  against  him  by  the  king. 
Then  the  king  returned  out  of  the  palace  garden  into  the 
palace  nf  the  banquet  of  icine ;  and  Haman  was  fallen 
upon  the  bed  where  Esther  teas.  Then  said  the  king, 
Will  he  force  the  queen  also  before  me  in  the  house  ?  As 
tJie  word  went  out  of  the  king^s  mouth,  they  covered 
Haman's  face.  And  Harbonah,  one  of  the  chamber- 
lains, said  before  the  king,  Behold,  also,  the  gallows,  fifty 
cubits  high,  ichich  Haman  had  made  for  Mordecai,  who 
had  spoken  good  for  the  king,  standeth  in  the  house  of 
Haman.  Then  the  king  said,  Hang  him  thereon.  So 
they  hanged  Haman  on  the  gallows  that  he  had  prepared 
for  Mordecai.     Then  was  the  king's  wrath  pacified. 

In  our  last  Lecture  we  left  off  at  the  crisis  of 
the  late  of  Esther  and  her  people.     At  the  second 


EMOTION    OF    AHASUERUS.      209 

banquet  given  to  Ahasuerus  and  his  favourite, 
the  queen,  encouraged  by  the  assurance  of  her 
husband,  now  repeated  for  the  third  time,  named 
the  boon,  for  the  sake  of  which  she  had  already- 
risked  her  life  by  entering  uncalled  into  the 
royal  presence.  When  she  requested  her  own 
life,  and  that  of  her  people,  the  king  was  aston- 
ished. When  she  told  him  that  she  and  her 
people  were  "  sold  to  be  destroyed,  to  be  slain, 
and  to  perish,"  he  felt  confounded  and  alarmed. 
But  when  she  pointed  to  the  person  on  whose 
bosom  he  lay,  as  the  author  of  her  countless 
wrongs,  the  scene  became  altogether  indescriba- 
ble, and  accordingly  the  inspired  historian  dis- 
misses it  by  a  fine  graphic  touch :  "  Then 
Haman  was  afraid  before  the  king  and  the 
queen.  And  the  king,  arising  from  the  banquet 
of  wine  in  his  loralh,  went  into  the  palace  gar- 
den; and  Haman  stood  up  to  make  request  for 
his  life  to  Esther  the  queen ;  for  he  saw  that 
there  ivas  evil  dMermined  against  him." 

Neither  the  king  nor  Haman  appears  to  have 
had  the  slightest  idea  that  Esther  was  a  Jewess  ; 
and  accordingly  the  disclosure  of  the  secret  fell 
18* 


210        LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

as  a  thunderbolt  on  both,  though  the  emotions 
which  it  produced  were  very  different,  accord- 
ing to  the  part  they  had  acted  in  the  cruel  de- 
cree, and  the  situation  in  which  they  stood. 
The  one  was  filled  with  fear,  the  other  inflamed 
with  anger.  Though  every  trace  of  the  transac- 
tion had  been  erased  from  the  memory  of 
Ahasuerus,  the  conscious  guilt  depicted  on  the 
countenance  of  the  favourite  was  enough  to  bring 
it  to  his  recollection.  Rising  from  the  table  in 
great  agitation,  he  burst  out  of  the  room,  and 
retired  into  the  garden  to  indulge  his  passionate 
feelings. 

His  emotion  was  of  a  mixed  kind.  First, 
there  was,  or  at  least  ought  to  have  been,  a  feel- 
ing of  shame  and  indignation  against  himself, 
for  being  so  silly  as  to  become  a  tool  in  the  hands 
of  a  worthless  person,  and  to  place  his  signet  in 
his  hand,  that  he  might  affix  it  to  whatever  deed 
of  iniquity  and  blood  he  chose  to  devise  and  per- 
petrate. "  Fool  that  I  was,  and  worse  than  fool, 
to  doom  to  destruction,  without  the  least  inquiry 
into  the  allegations  brought  against  them,  a 
whole  people,  and  my  own  queen  among  the 


EMOTION    OF    AHASUERUS.  211 

rest!"     In  a  similar  manner  ought  we  to  be 
angry  Avitli  ourselves  and  our  sins.     "  So  foolish 
was  I,  and  ignorant;  I  was  as  a  beast  before 
thee."     "  This  self-same  thing  that  ye  sorrowed 
after  a  godly  sort,  what  carefulness  it  wrought 
in  you,  yea,  what  clearing  of  yourselves,  yea, 
what  indignation,  yea,  what  fear,  yea,  Avhat  vehe- 
inent  desire,  yea,  what  zeal,  yea,  what  revenge," 
-—Again,   there  was   indignation   against   the 
tempter.     He  felt  indignant,  and  justly  indig- 
nant, that  one  whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dust, 
admitted  to  his  counsels,  loaded  with  honours, 
advanced   above  all  his   princes,  taken  to  his 
bosom,  should  have  so  basely  abused  his  confi- 
dence, and  acted  so  ungratefully  as  to  employ 
his  influence  with  his  royal  benefactor  to  accom- 
plish his  own  selfish  designs,  and  to  gratify  his 
private  malice. 

It  would  have  been  Avell  if  the  king  had  felt 

and  acted  in  this  manner  at  a  former  period if, 

when  Haman  first  proposed  the  slaughter  of  the 
innocent  Jews,  and  endeavoured  to  bribe  his  con- 
sent, he  had  spurned  him  from  his  presence, 
saying,  "  Thy  money  perish  with  thee."    Then 


212  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

he  would  not  have  had  such  cause  for  self- 
reproach  as  he  now  had.  But  it  is  not  until 
"sin  has  slain  us,"  or  at  least  inflicted  a  mortal 
wound,  that  we  become  sensible  of  its  deceitful- 
ness.  And  it  is  better  to  discover  this  late  than 
never. 

"The  wrath  of  a  king^  (a  despot)  is  as  a 
roaring  lion,  and  as  messengers  of  death," 
(Prov.  xvi.  4.)  The  agitated  frame  of  Aha- 
suerus,  and  the  hasty  manner  in  which  he  left 
the  apartment,  without  putting  a  single  ques- 
tion, or  uttering  a  remark,  convinced  Haman 
that  "  there  loas  evil  determined  against  him.'''' 
He  perceived  that  his  honours  had  fled,  his 
w^ealth  was  on  the  wing,  and  his  life  preparing 
to  follow  them.  "Skin  for  skin,  yea  all  that  a 
man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life."  For  once, 
Satan,  thou  hast  spoken  true.  "  Hama7i  stood 
up  to  make  request  for  his  life  to  Esther  the 
queen;^^  and,  in  the  agony  of  his  terror  and  en- 
treaties, he  threw  himself  on  the  bed,  or  sofa, 
on  which  she  reclined.  Men  who  have  risen 
to  greatness,  are  not  always  great  of  heartl- 
and '■'  those  who  are  most  haughty,  insolent, 


HAMAN    BEGS    FOR    HIS    LIFE.     213 

and  imperious  when  tliey  are  in  power  and 
prosperity,  are  commonly  the  most  abject  and 
poor-spirited  when  the  wheel  turns  upon  them." 
A  man  of  spirit,  on  perceiving  that  his  plans 
had  failed,  and  that  he  was  caught  in  his  own 
toils,  would  have  resigned  him.self  to  his  fate, 
and  prepared  to  meet  his  doom  with  fortitude  j 
but  a  guilty  conscience  extinguishes  moral 
courage  ;  and  the  man  who  could  in  cold  blood 
doom  a  whole  nation  to  the  sword,  in  revenge 
for  a  petty  affront,  was  a  coward  at  heart,  and 
w^ould  submit  to  any  indignity  to  save  his  life. 
Had  Mordecai  been  present,  Haman  would 
have  knelt  to  him. 

"  Before  honour  is  humility,  and  a  haughty 
spirit  before  a  fall."  Esther  had  lately  been 
neglected,  and  doomed  to  the  slaughter,  and 
forced  to  sue  for  her  life,  while  Haman  had  ac- 
cess to  her  husband  at  all  times,  and  swayed 
him  according  to  his  pleasure ;  but  now  she  is 
honoured,  and  her  sworn  enemy  owns  that  he 
is  at  her  mercy,  and  begs  his  life  at  her  hand. 
Now,  God  had  "  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his 
handmaiden,  and  scattered  the  proud  in  the  im- 


214         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

aginations  of  his  heart."  In  this  manner  does 
God  sometimes  reverse  the  condition  of  the  op- 
pressor and  the  oppressed,  even  in  this  life. 
And  these  instances  of  temporal  retribution  pre- 
sent in  miniature  a  picture  of  what  shall  be  ex- 
hibited on  a  more  magnificent  scale  at  the  last 
day,  when  those  who  now  despise  the  saints, 
and  say  to  them,  "  Bow  down  that  we  may  go 
over,"  will  become  suppliants  to  them  ;  and  as 
Haman  did  on  the  present  occasion,  shall  sup- 
plicate in  vain.  "  Give  us  of  your  oil,  for  our 
lamps  are  gone  out.  Nay,  lest  we  have  not 
enough  for  ourselves,  but  go  rather  to  the  mer- 
chants and  buy  for  yourselves."  "Father 
Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  send  Laza- 
rus, that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in 
water,  and  cool  my  tongue  ;  for  I  am  tormented 
in  this  flame.  Son,  remember  that  thou  in  thy 
lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and  like- 
wise Lazarus  evil  things  :  but  now  he  is  com- 
forted, and  thou  art  tormented." 

It  is  the  misery  of  those  who  have  been  detect- 
ed in  the  commission  of  great  crimes,  and  it  is  a 
just  part  of  their  punishment,  to  be  suspected  or 


HA  man's     DOOM.  215 

accused  of  that  of  vv'hich  they  are  guiltless. 
But  yesterday,  all  that  Haman  said  or  did  was 
viewed  with  a  favourable  eye;  now,  the  most 
innocent  actions  are  construed  to  his  disadvan- 
tage. Haman  lay  prostrate  at  Esther's  feet,  im- 
ploring her  intercession  for  his  life.  What? 
exclaims  the  king,  on  returning  to  the  apartment 
— "  Will  he  force  the  queen  also  before  me  in 
the  house  ?'''  Not  that  he  suspected  him  of  any 
such  intention ;  but  it  was  a  cutting  sarcasm, 
intimating  at  once  the  king's  rage  against  him, 
and  his  opinion  that  there  was  no  crime  of 
w^hich  such  a  base  wretch  was  not  capable. 
'' As  the  icord  went  out  of  the  kings  mouth, 
they  covered  Haman^s  facel''  as  one  odious  to 
their  master,  and  already  doomed  to  die.  Those 
who  formerly  durst  scarcely  look  upon  the 
favourite,  now  approach  without  ceremony, 
and  treat  him  as  a  felon  about  to  be  led  out  to 
execution. 

We  are  not  told  that  the  king  said,  W^ho  is 
in  the  court  %  And  they  answered,  Mordecai 
is  in  the  outer  court;  and  he  said,  let  him 
come  in.     Nor  that  the  king  said,  What  shall 


216  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

be  done  to  the  man  who  has  dishonoured  the 
king,  and  sought  the  life  of  the  queen  ?  And 
Mordecai  said,  Let  him  be  hanged  on  a  gallows 
fifty  cubits  high.  Nothing  of  this  kind  hap- 
pened. Haman  resented  the  condact  of  Mor- 
decai in  refusing  him  the  honours  of  which  he 
was  so  covetous.  But  Mordecai  never  touched 
a  hair  of  his  head.  It  was  not  he,  but  one  of 
those  who  had  been  most  lavish  of  their  adula- 
tion, and  had  fawned  most  servilely  upon  him, 
who  moved  his  death,  and  pointed  to  the  mode 
of  its  execution.  Harbonah,  the  chamberlain, 
who  had  been  sent  to  attend  him  to  the  royal 
banquet,  now  tells  what  he  had  seen  in  his 
house.  "■  Behold  also  the  gallows,  fifty  cubits 
high,  which  Haman  had  made  for  Mordecai 
who  had  spoken  good  for  the  kig,  standeth  in 
the  house  of  Haman."  The  star  of  Mordecai 
is  now  in  the  ascendant,  and  therefore  Har-» 
bonah,  like  a  prudent  courtier,  speaks  to  his 
praise,  while  Haman  being  in  disgrace,  every 
thing  which  could  incense  the  king  against 
him  is  brought  forward  and  proclaimed.  It  is 
our  duty  to  observe  the  conduct  of  Providence 


PUNISHMENT    OF    PRIDE,  217 

in  rendering  a  recompense  to  the  wicked,  and 
we  should  adore  its  justice ;  but  we  are  not  to 
confound  this  with  the  motives  of  those  who  are 
instrumental  in  carrying  it  into  execution. 

O,  how  little  reason  Imve  proud  men  to  boast 
of  that  influence  which  they  have  over  those 
who  are  beneath  them  ! 

Courtiers  have  a  wonderful  sagacity  in  disco- 
vering the  inclinations,  and  adapting  themselves 
to  the  temper  and  disposition  of  their  princes. 
Harbonah  does  not  say — Let  Haman  be  execu- 
ted :  but  the  king,  seizing  the  information  com- 
municated to  him,  exclaims,  "  Let  him  be  hang- 
ed thereon  ;'^^  and  his  sentence  was  executed 
without  delay.  "  So  they  hanged  Haman  on 
the  gallou's  thai  he  had  prepared  for  Mor- 
decai" 

See  how  pride  is  humbled  and  persecution 
punished ;  cmd  see  how  mischief  falls  on  the 
head  of  those  who  have  prepared  it  for  others. 
^There  are  two  circumstances  in  the  present  in- 
stance in  which  retributive  justice  appears; 
First,  Haman  had  procured  an  edict  for  the  de- 
struction of  the  Jews,  without  any  proof  of,  or 
19 


218  LECTL'RES    ON    ESTHER. 

investigation  into  their  guilt  ;  and  now  he  is 
oidered  to  execution  by  the  arbitrary  wilt  of 
the  prince,  without  any  trial.  Secondly,  he  is 
hanged  on  the  gibbet  which  he  had  erected  for 
Mordecai.  In  this  manner  have  the  wicked, 
and  the  enemies  of  the  church  of  God  been 
taken  in  their  own  craftiness.  The  Lord  is' 
known  by  the  judgment  which  he  executeth ; 
the  sinners'  hands  make  the  snares,  by  which 
they  themselves  are  caught. 

In  fine,  from  this  history,  we  learn  that  pun- 
ishments are  not  merely  preventive  and  cor- 
rective, according  to  the  narrow  and  erroneous 
views  of  some  modern  philosophers  and  politi- 
cians, but  retributive  and  vindicatory.  One 
design  of  the  punishments  in  the  Mosaic  law 
w^as,  that  the  land  might  be  cleansed  from  blood. 
"  Then  was  the  king's  wrath  pacified.^^  And 
the  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  when  he 
inflicts  vengeance,  (so  it  is  called  in  Scripture, 
times  without  number,)  says, — "  Ah !  I  will 
ease  me  of  mine  adversaries,  and  avenge  me  of 
mine  enemies  ;"  "  I  will  cause  my  fury  to  rest 
upon  them,  and  I  will  be  comforted." 


PUNISHMENT    OF    PRIDE.  219 

There  is  nothing  like  passion  in  the  divine 
mind,  but  there  is  a  judicial  displeasure  which 
belongs  to  the  Supreme  Governor  and  Judge  of 
the  world,  and  which  he  displays  in  the  punish- 
ment of  transgressors.  We  know  Him  that 
hath  said,  "  Vengeance  belongeth  to  me ;  I  will 
recompense,  saith  the  Lord."  And  again — 
"  The  Lord  shall  judge  his  people." 

Whatever  doctrine  has  a  tendency  to  set  aside 
or  to  relax  the  influence  of  the  principle  of 
*'  godly  fear,"  is  not  of  God.  It  may  be  called 
evangelical  and  seraphic,  but  it  is  ultra-evangeli- 
cal, yea,  ultra-angelical  doctrine.  In  the  vision 
of  the  prophet,  the  seraphimsare  represented  as 
covering  their  faces  and  feet  with  their  wings, 
while  they  cry  one  unto  another,  "  Holy,  holy, 
holy,  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts!"  Some  are  fond  of 
resolving  all  the  attributes  of  God  into  one  ;  and 
in  the  present  day,  it  is  the  attribute  of  benevo- 
lence. We  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the 
benevolence  of  the  Divine  Being ;  but  we  dis- 
honour him,  or  rather,  we  form  a  god  of  our  own 
imagination,  if  we  extol  his  love  at  the  expense 
of  his  holiness,  justice,   or  veracity.     He  is 


220         LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

"glorious  in  holiness,"  as  well  as  in  grace. 
"  God  is  love,"  but  the  same  Apostle  tells  us 
•'God  is  light  and  with  him  there  is  no  dark- 
ness at  all."  "Our  God  is  merciful  and  gra- 
cious," but  "our  God  is  a  consuming  fire.'* 
You  know  the  adage, — "A  God  all  mercy, 
were  a  God  unjust ;"  but  it  is  not  enough  to 
apply  this  against  those  who  deny  the  necessity 
of  a  satisfaction  for  sin,  unless  the  display  of  his 
justice  in  dealing  with  our  surety,  produce  a 
holy  awe  upon  our  spirits,  inducing  us  to  "fear 
the  Lord  and  his  goodness."  "Wherefore,  we 
receiving  a  kingdom  which  cannot  be  moved, 
let  us  have  grace,  whereby  we  may  serve  God 
acceptably  with  reverence  and  godly  fear." 


221 


LECTURE    FOURTEENTH. 


Esther   VIII.    1—5. 

On  that  day  did  the  king  Ahasuerus  give  the  house  of 
Ilaman  the  Jew's  enemy,  unto  Esther  the  queen.  And 
Mordecai  came  before  the  king ;  for  Esther  had  told  what 
he  was  unto  her.  And  the  king  took  off  his  ring  which  he 
had  taken  from  Haman,  and  gave  it  unto  Mordecai.  And 
Esther  set  Mordecai  over  tlie  house  of  Haman.  And 
Esther  spake  yet  again  before  the  king,  and  fell  down  at 
his  feet,  and  besought  him  with  tears  to  putav:ay  the  mis- 
chief of  Haman  the  Agogite,  and  his  device  that  he  had 
devised  against  the  Jews.  Then  the  king  held  out  the 
golden  sceptre  toward  Esther.  So  Esther  arose,  and  stood 
before  the  king,  and  said,  If  it  please  the  king,  and  if  I 
have  found  favour  in  his  sight,  and  the  thing  seem  right 
before  the  king,  and  I  be  pleasing  in  his  eyes,  let  it  be 
written  to  reverse  the  letters  devised  by  Haman,  the  son 
of  Hammedatha,  the  Agagite,  which  he  wrote  to  destroy 
the  Jews  which  are  in  all  the  king^s  provinces. 

In  our  last  Lecture  we  saw  how  pride  is 
humbled,  and  in  what  a  surprising  way  mischief 
19* 


222  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER, 

is  sometimes  made  to  fall  on  the  head  of  him 
who  had  devised  it  for  others.  He  who  made 
himself  miserable  if  a  single  individual  did  not 
worship  him,  is  fain  to  become  a  humble  sup- 
pliant for  his  life,  and  supplicates  for  it  in  vain. 
"  He  shall  be  judged  without  mercy  who  hath 
showed  no  mercy."  Haman  had  procured  an 
arbitrary  edict  to  put  all  the  Jews  to  the  sword 
without  any  inquiry  into  the  charges  brought 
against  them;  and  he  is  ordered  to  execution 
without  the  form  of  a  trial.  And  that  the  retri- 
bution might  be  more  signal,  he  is  hanged  on 
the  very  gibbet  which  he  had  prepared  for 
Mordecai.  Thus  "  the  wise  are  taken  in  their 
own  craftiness,  and  the  heathen  are  sunk  in  the 
pit  which  they  had  prepared.  The  Lord  is 
known  by  the  judgments  which  he  executeth ; 
and  the  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of  his  own 
hand."     Higgaion,  meditate  on  this. 

"  Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise  thee ; 
and  the  remainder  of  wrath  shalt  thou  restrain." 
The  king  ordered  Haman  to  execution  when  he 
was  in  wrath ;  and  it  was  an  act  which,  while 
it  approved  itself  to  those  w^hose  minds  were 


tranquil,  he  could  not  repent  of  when  his  pas- 
sion had  subsided.  But  it  was  fit  that  what  re- 
mained should  be  done  coolly  and  dispassion- 
ately. "  Then  was  the  king's  wrath  pacifiecV^ 
Esther  and  Mordecai  were  the  two  persons 
whom  the  king,  though  unconsciously,  had 
more  immediately  injured,  and  it  was  proper 
that  he  should  begin  with  repairing  that  injury. 
They  had  peculiar  claims  upon  him  personally, 
the  one  fi'om  the  near  relation  in  which  she 
stood  to  him  as  queen-consort,  and  the  other  as 
the  man  who  had  saved  his  life.  "  On  that  day 
did  the  king  Ahasuerus  give  the  house  of  Ha  - 
man,  the  Jewi  enemy,  unto  Esther  the  queenP 
This  does  not  refer  to  the  family  of  the  de- 
ceased favourite,  whose  fate  is  afterwards  men- 
tioned, but  to  his  palace  and  estate,  which,  as 
confiscated  property,  had  fallen  to  the  crown  by 
the  condemnation  and  death  of  the  owner.  His 
houses  and  lands,  his  silver  and  gold,  his  goods 
and  chattels — all  the  wealth  he  had  heaped  up 
during  his  prosperity,  and  of  which  we  found 
him  boasting  to  his  friends,  was  now  gifted  to 
Esther,  in  addition  to  the  royal  provision  already 


224  LECTURES    ON    ESTHEit. 

made  for  her.  Haman  had  offered  the  king  ten 
thousand  talents  of  silver  as  a  remuneration  for 
the  lives  of  the  Jews;  to  which  the  king  replied 
— "  The  silver  is  given  to  thee,  the  people  also, 
to  do  with  them  as  it  seemeth  good  to  thee." 
But  now  he  gives  to  Esther  not  only  the  life  of 
Haman,  but  also  all  that  he  had,  that  she  might 
do  with  it  what  seemed  good  to  her.  Thus  it 
is  that  the  "  wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up  for 
the  just,  and  the  innocent  divides  the  silver." 

*'  Esther  set  Mordecai  over  the  house  of  Ha- 
man^^  as  steward,  to  oversee  and  manage  it  for 
her  interest.  How  galling  would  it  have  been 
to  Haman  to  have  foreseen  that  the  man  whom 
he  most  hated  should  "  rule  over  all  that 
wherein  he  had  laboured,  and  wherein  he  had 
showed  himself  wise  under  the  sun!"  How 
deceitful  is  favour — how  vain  are  riches!  Shall 
we  set  our  hearts  on  that  which  is  not  ?  For 
that  w^hich  may  be  another's  to-morrow  cannot, 
in  any  proper  sense,  be  called  mine.  Haman's 
case  w^as  peculiar  in  some  circumstances ;  but 
in  the  main  it  is  a  common  case,  and  is  fraught 
with  admonition.     "  Surely  every  man  walketh 


MORDECAI     EXALTED.  225 

in  a  vain  show ;  surely  they  are  disquieted  in 
vain :  he  heapeth  up  riches,  and  knoweth  not 
who  shall  gather  them,"  knoweth  not  whether 
he  shall  be  a  wise  man  or  a  fool,  yea,  a  friend 
or  foe.  In  this  respect  the  situation  of  a  poor 
man  is  happier  than  that  of  the  rich ;  for  if  he 
bequeath  nothing  to  his  friends,  he  leaves  as 
little  to  his  enemies.  How  much  surer  and 
wiser  is  it  to  lay  up  those  treasures,  and  acquire 
those  honours  of  which  none  can  strip  us,  so 
that  when  we  come  to  die,  we  may  be  able  to 
say,  "  I  carry  all  my  wealth  with  me!" 

Esther  had  hitherto  kept  the  secret  of  her 
relationship  to  Mordecai,  in  obedience  to  his 
injunctions;  but  the  time  was  now  coming  for 
revealing  it..  All  the  purposes  which  Provi- 
dence had  intended  to  serve  by  its  concealment 
were  accomplished.  To  have  retained  it  longer 
would  have  been  an  intolerable  burden  on  her 
own  mind,  a  piece  of  ingratitude  to  her  hus- 
band, and  a  source  of  danger  to  her  guardian. 
His  life  had  recently  been  in  imminent  peril  by 
the  king's  ignorance  of  the  fact,  and  she  would 
not  tempt  Providence  by  keeping  it  longer  back. 


^26 


LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 


Without  farther  delay  she  informs  her  royal 
husband  that  Mordecai  is  her  near  relation — 
her  second  father,  who  had  taken  her  up  when 
left  an  infant  orphan,  and  reared  her  with  all 
the  kindness  and  care  of  a  parent.  Mordecai  is 
instantly  sent  for,  leaves  his  humble  place  to 
return  to  it  no  more,  and  is  introduced  at  court 
as  the  queen's  cousin.  The  monarch  now 
found  himself  more  than  ever  bound  to  confer 
honour  on  Mordecai.  The  question  now  is, 
what  shall  be  done  to  the  man  who  has  saved 
the  life  of  both  the  king  and  queen  ?  Haman 
is  not  now  in  the  court  to  answer  the  question: 
but  Haman's  place  shall  answer  it.  "  The  king- 
took  off  the  ring  which  he  had  taken  from  Ha- 
man, and  gave  it  to  Mordecai,"  thereby  not  only 
giving  a  pledge  of  royal  favour,  but  investing 
him  with  the  high  office  of  first  minister  of  the 
state.  Nor  was  this  done  without  reason.  The 
wisdom  and  spirit  displayed  by  Mordecai  in  the 
whole  of  the  late  affair,  together  with  his 
modesty,  humility,  and  self-denial,  marked  him 
out  as  a  person  of  no  ordinary  accomplish- 
ments, both  moral  and  intellectual,  and  whose 


MORDECAI     EXALTED,  227 

advancement  would  contribute  at  once  to  the 
security  of  the  throne  and  the  happiness  of  the 
people. 

Such  were  the  morning  and  evening  of  this 
day,  the  transactions  of  which  must  have  ap- 
peared to  those  immediately  concerned  in  them 
as  a  dream.  How  many  important  events  are 
sometimes  crowded  into  the  small  space  of 
twenty-four  hours !  Years  of  our  life  pass  away 
without  anything  occurring  worthy  of  notice, 
and  in  the  course  of  one  da^^  we  shall  see  a 
complete  revolution  of  our  fortunes  and  those 
of  others.  How  little  did  either  Haman  or 
Mordecai  think,  when  they  rose  in  the  morn- 
ing, that  their  situations  would  be  reversed  be- 
fore evening — the  former,  that  he  should  be 
suspended  on  the  gibbet  which  he  had  prepared 
for  Mordecai,  and  the  latter,  that  he  should  be 
advanced  to  the  post  of  honour  held  by  Ha- 
man !  But  it  was  the  work  of  the  Lord ;  and 
with  Him  "  a  thousand  years  are  as  one  day, 
and  one  day  as  a  thousand  years." 

The  king  had  slept  none  on  the  preceding 
evening,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  queen  slept 


228  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

as  little  during  this  night,  Her  spirits  must 
have  been  discomposed  by  anxiety,  and  by  the 
desirable  but  affecting  termination  of  the  impor- 
tant affair  in  which  she  had  embarked,  so  far 
as  it  had  proceeded.  But  there  still  remained 
ground  of  anxiety ;  the  chief  part  of  her  peti- 
tion was  still  unanswered.  Her  life  had  been 
given  her  at  her  petition,  but  not  "  her  people 
at  her  request."  The  disgrace  and  death  of 
Haman  secured  her  and  Mordecai  from  danger. 
But  the  Jews,  scattered  through  one  hundred 
and  twenty  provinces,  were  still  doomed  to  the 
sword,  and  they  had  many  enemies  who  looked 
forward  to  the  time  fixed  by  the  decree  for 
their  slaughter  and  spoliation.  If,  contented 
with  what  she  had  obtained,  she  had  now  held 
her  peace,  and  ceased  to  importune  the  king 
for  their  protection,  she  would  have  betrayed  a 
selfishness  at  variance  with  her  former  con- 
duct. It  might  be  thought  that  Mordecai,  now 
received  into  court,  and  intrusted  with  power, 
should  have  taken  the  direction  of  the  affair ; 
but  it  was  more  fit  that  he  should  receive  orders 
from  the  monarch,  instead  of  obtruding  his  ad- 


SKILL    IN    SCRIPTURE.  229 

vice  at  the  commencement  of  his  ministry  ;  and 
that  Esther  should  have  the  honour  of  com- 
pleting the  business  which  she  had  hitherto 
conducted  with  so  much  wisdom  and  success, 

"  Sit  still,  my  daughter,  until  thou  know  how 
the  matter  will  fall :  for  the  man  will  not  be  in 
rest  until  he  have  finished  the  thing  this  day." 
{Ruth,  iii.  18.)  Such  was  the  advice  of  Naomi 
to  her  daughter-in-law  ;  but  if  Esther  had  acted 
upon  it  on  the  present  occasion,  she  would  have 
spoiled  the  work  which  she  had  so  auspiciously 
begun.  It  is  not  enough  to  be  able  to  quote 
Scripture ;  Satan  can  do  that,  and  with  great 
dexterity.  There  are  two  keys  necessary  for 
opening  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven ;  the  key  of  doctrine  or  interpretation,  and 
the  key  of  application.  Knowledge  will  qualify 
one  for  using  the  former;  wisdom  and  expe- 
rience are  requisite  for  the  right  handling  of  the 
latter.  A  person  may  be  well  acquainted  with 
all  the  tools  in  an  artisan's  shop — he  may  know 
not  only  their  names,  but  the  several  purposes 
they  are  intended  to  serve  ;  and  yet  may  be  in- 
capable of  using  them.  The  right  use  of  Scrip- 
20 


230  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

ture  lies  in  the  application.  It  is  to  this  that  the 
Apostle  appears  immediately  to  refer,  when  he 
says  to  Timothy,  "  Study  to  show  thyself 
approved  unto  God,  a  workman  that  needeth 
not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of 
truth."  A  clever  student  may  prove  but  a  sorry 
preacher.  In  applying  Scripture,  discrimina- 
tion is  necessary.  We  need  to  distinguish  be- 
tween general  maxims  and  particular  direc- 
tions; and  even  when  the  latter  may  contain  a 
general  principle,  we  are  to  divest  it  of  its 
specialties,  and  to  attend  to  the  circumstances  of 
person,  place,  and  time,  which  may  be  of  such 
a  kind  as  to  render  it  totally  inapplicable  to  the 
situation  in  which  we  are  placed.  There  was 
a  wide  difference  between  the  case  of  Ruth  and 
Esther,  in  two  respects.  In  the  first  place,  the 
former  was  not  a  case  of  life  and  death,  like 
the  latter.  Where  the  matter  merely  concerns 
our  comfort,  after  having  used  ordinary  means, 
we  may  warrantably  and  wisely  "  sit  still  until 
we  know  how  the  matter  will  fall;"  or,  as  the 
words  are  rendered  in  the  Chaldee  Targum, 
•'  imtil  we  know  how  it  is  decreed  in  heaven," 


SKILL    IN    SCRIPTURE.  231 

(a  proof,  by  the  way,  that  those  early  para- 
phrasts  were  predestinarians;)  but  when  the 
point  at  issue  is  of  vast  importance  to  ourselves 
or  others,  or  in  any  way  involves  necessary  duty, 
to  sit  still  is  to  sin,  to  refuse  to  be  workers  to- 
gether with  God,  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  to 
cover  our  own  indolence  or  cowardice  with  a 
pretended  regard  for  the  divine  decrees.  If  Es- 
ther had  sitten  still,  she  would  have  tempted  the 
Lord  her  God,  as  really  as  Jesus  would  have 
done  had  he  thrown  himself  from  the  pinnacle 
of  the  temple,  trusting  in  the  promise,  "  He  shall 
give  his  angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee 
in  all  thy  ways :  they  shall  bear  thee  up  in 
their  hands,  lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a 
gtone."  In  the  second  place,  there  was  a  great 
difference  in  respect  of  persons.  Boaz  was  a 
pious  and  wise  man,  and  might  be  trusted  with 
doing  what  was  proper  and  right,  after  the  mat- 
ter was  brought  under  his  notice.  Ahasuerus 
was  a  heathen  and  a  monarch,  who,  in  his  great- 
ness, and  in  the  midst  of  his  pleasures,  might 
forget  those  who  were  "  drawn  unto  death,"  and 
might  afterwards  say,  "  Behold,  we  knew  it 


232  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

Accordingly,  Esther  went  in  a  second  time 
to  the  presence  of  the  king,  and  was  encouraged, 
as  formerly,  to  present  her  request,  by  his 
stretching  out  the  golden  sceptre  to  her.  What 
she  asked  of  the  king  was,  "  to  put  aioay  the 
mischief  of  Haman  the  Agagite,  and  his  device 
that  he  had  devised  against  the  Jews^  Haman 
was  dead,  but  his  mischievous  decree  still  lived 
— it  had  all  the  strength  of  a  law — an  irrevo- 
cable law,  by  which  thousands,  and  ten  thou- 
sands, might  be  sacrificed  to  his  manes.  In 
respect  of  active  exertion,  it  is  true  that  in  the 
grave  "the  wicked  cease  from  troubling;"  but, 
so  far  as  the  consequences  of  their  actions,  and 
the  execution  of  their  plans  are  concerned,  it 
may  be  said,  that,  though  dead,  they  yet  speak 
and  work  mischief  This  is  especially  true  of 
sinners  of  splendid  talent  and  high  station.  It 
holds  true  of  rulers  that  enact  unrighteous  laws, 
— of  men  of  rank  who  lead  a  profligate  life, — 
and  of  learned  men,  who  leave  behind  them 
writings  which  go  on  to  taint  and  vitiate  the 
principles  of  men  from  generation  to  generation. 
To  them  Ave  may  at  least  accommodate  the  v/ords, 


Esther's   intercession.     233 

"  Some  men's  sins  are  open  beforehand,  and  go 
before  to  judgment ;  and  some  men  they  follow 
after."  We  read  of  the  judgments  inflicted  for 
*'  the  sin  which  Jeroboam  caused  Israel  to  sin." 
long  after  that  prince  was  rotten  in  his  grave. 
It  was  with  great  earnestness,  and  evident 
marks  of  affection,  that  Esther  urged  the  king 
to  interpose  his  authority  to  prevent  the  execu- 
tion of  the  bloody  decree.  "  Sh".  fell  doion  at 
his  feet,  and  besought  him  loith  tearsP  We 
have  here  a  bright  example  of  female  patriotism. 
At  her  first  appearance  we  read  of  nothing  of 
this  kind.  Then  she  was  a  party  concerned, 
— and,  with  the  dignity  which  became  a  queen, 
and  one  of  an  injured  and  innocent  race,  she 
pled  her  cause,  and  boldly  arraigned  the  enemy 
and  adversary.  But  now,  her  own  life  having 
been  secured,  she  appears  as  an  intercessor  and 
advocate  for  others.  Her  whole  soul  was  em- 
barked in  the  cause  which  she  had  undertaken 
— very  different  from  a  man  of  law,  or  one  who 
engages  to  act  the  part  of  his  client  for  fee  and 
reward.  She  "  preferred  Jerusalem  above  her 
chief  joy."  When  her  own  life  was  in  danger 
20* 


234  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

she  bent  no  knee,  she  shed  no  tear ;  but  now 
she  weeps  and  makes  supplication,  and  refuses 
to  rise  from  the  ground  unless  her  people  are 
given  at  her  request.  To  obtain  this  there  is 
no  humiliation  to  which  she  will  not  submit, 
no  entreaty  that  she  will  not  employ.  She  will 
not  separate  herself  from  her  kindred,  and,  like 
the  wife  of  Phinehas,  cannot  think  of  surviving 
the  destruction  of  her  people.  "  For  how"  she 
exclaims,  "  ca?i  I  endure  to  see  the  einl  that  shall 
come  unto  my  people,  or  hoiv  shall  I  endure  to 
see  the  destruction  of  my  ki7idredV^ 

The  true  patriot  is  ready  to  sacrifice  every 
thing  for  the  public  weal;  he  prefers  public  to 
personal  interests,  and  would  rather  die  than 
witness  the  desolations  of  the  church  of  God 
and  the  ruin  of  his  country.  Such  was  the 
patriotism  of  Moses : — "  Yet  now,  if  thou  wilt 
forgive  their  sin ;  and  if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray 
thee,  out  of  thy  book  which  thou  hast  written." 
And  such  was  the  patriotism  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament Moses,  the  Apostle  Paul :  "  I  say  the 
truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not,  my  conscience  also 
bearing  me  witness  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  I 


THE    TRUE     PATRIOT.  235 

have  grep-t  heaviness  and  continual  sorrow  in 
my  heart.  For  I  could  wish  that  myself  were 
accursed  from  Christ  for  my  brethren,  my 
kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh  ;" — a  passage, 
the  beauty  of  which  is  not  half  seen  unless  it  is 
compared  with  the  close  of  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, in  which  we  find  the  Apostle  exuhing  in 
the  love  of  God,  and  declaring  his  persuasion 
that  nothing  could  separate  him  from  Christ. 
•'.Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ? 
Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or 
famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword?  Nay, 
in  all  these  things  we  are  more  than  conquer- 
ors, through  him  that  loved  us."  But  what  all 
these  things  could  not  do,  singly  or  together, 
his  love  for  his  brethren  would  have  induced 
him  to  undergo.  "  For  I  could  wish  that  my- 
self were  accursed  from  Christ  (separated  from 
his  love)  for  my  brethren,  my  kinsmen  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh." 


236 


LECTURE    FIFTEENTH. 


Esther  VIII.    7—17. 

Then  the  King  Ahasuerus  said  unto  Esther  the  queen  and 
■to  Mordecai  the  Jew,  Behold,  J  have  given  Esther  the 
house  of  Haman,  and  him  they  hate  hanged  upon  the 
gallows,  because  he  laid,  his  hand  ujjon  the  Jews.  Write 
ye  also  for  the  Jews,  as  it  likcth  you,  in  the  king's  name, 
and  seal  it  with  the  king's  ring :  for  the  icriting  which 
is  written  in  the  king''s  name,  and  sealed  with  the  king^s 
ring,  may  no  man  reverse.  Then  were  the  hinges  scribes 
called  at  that  time  in  the  third  month,  that  is,  the  month 
Sivan,  on  tlie  three  and  ticentieth  day  thereof;  and  it  was 
written  according  to  all  that  3Iordecai  commanded  unto 
the  Jews,  and  to  the  lieutenants,  and  deputies  and  rulers 
of  the  provinces  which  are  from  India  unto  Ethiopia,  an 
hundred  itcenty  and  seven  provinces,  unto  every  province 
according  to  the  icriting  thereof ,  and  unto  every  people 
after  their  language,  and  to  the  Jeics  according  to  their 
writing,  and  according  to  their  language.  And  he  wrote 
in  the  King  Ahasuerus''  name,  and  sealed  it  unth  the 
king^s  ring,  and  sent  letters  by  post  on  horseback,  and 
riders  on  mules,  camels,  and  young  dromedaries ;  wherein 


RECAPITULATION.  237 

the  king  granted  the  Jeios  which  were  in  every  city  to 
gather  themselves  together,  and  to  stand  for  their  life,  to 
destroy,  to  slay,  and  to  cause  to  perish,  all  the  power  of  the 
people  and  province  that  icoidd  assaidt  them,  loth  little 
ones  and  women,  and  to  take  the  spoil  of  them  for  a  prey, 
upon  one  day  in  all  the  provinces  of  King  Ahasuerus, 
namely,  upon  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  month, 
which  is  the  month  Adar.  The  copy  of  the  vyriting  for 
a  commandment  to  he  given  in  every  province  was  pub- 
lished unto  all  people,  and  that  the  Jews  should  he  ready 
against  that  day  to  avenge  themselves  on  their  enemies. 
So  the  posts  that  rode  upon  mules  and  camels  went  out, 
being  hastened  and  pressed  on  hy  the  king's  command- 
ment. And  the  decree  was  given  at  Shushan  the  palace. 
And  Mordecai  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the  king 
in  royal  apparel  of  hlue  and  white,  and  loith  a  great 
crown  of  gold,  and  icith  a  garment  of  fine  linen  and 
purple  :  and  the  city  of  Shushan  rejoiced  and  was  glad. 
The  Jews  Iiad  light,  and  gladness,  and  joy,  and  honour. 
And  in  every  province,  and  in  every  city,  whitliersoever 
the  king's  commandment  and  his  decree  came,  the  Jews 
had  joy  and  gladness,  a  feast  and  a  good  day.  And 
many  of  the  people  of  the  land  hecame  Jews;  for  ilie 
fear  of  the  Jews  fell  upon  them. 

After  considering  the  advancement  of  Mor- 
decai to  the  place  of  Haman,  we,  in  our  last 
Lecture,  entered  on  the  account  of  Esther's 


238         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

second  audience  of  the  king.  Though  the  dis- 
grace and  execution  of  Haman,  with  the  ad- 
Tancement  of  Mordecai,  was  a  sufficient  decla- 
ration of  the  royal  sentiments  in  favour  of  the 
Jews,  the  latter  were  still  exposed  legally  to  all 
the  penalties  of  the  exterminating  decree,  which 
had  been  published  throughout  the  wide  extent 
of  the  Persian  empire,  and  there  were  many 
who,  inflamed  by  hatred,  or  lured  by  the  pros- 
pect of  a  rich  booty,  looked  forward  eagerly  to 
the  day  fixed  for  slaughter  and  spoliation.  It 
was,  therefore,  necessary  for  Esther  to  bestir 
herself  for  the  protection  of  her  countrymen. 
Having  met  with  an  encouraging  reception 
from  the  king,  she  begged  that  he  would  re- 
verse the  letters  which  Haman  had  devised  to 
destroy  all  the  Jews  in  all  the  king's  provinces. 
This  request  was  presented  with  all  due  re- 
spect. "  If  it  please  the  king,  and  if  I  have 
found  favour  in  his  sight,  and  the  thing  seem 
right  before  the  king,  and  I  be  pleasing  in  his 
eyes."  But  it  was  made  and  enforced  with  the 
most  afTectionate  and  moving  earnestness.  In- 
deed these  two  are  blended  tosfether  both  in  ac- 


RECAPITULATION.  239 

tions  and  words.  "  She  fell  down  at  his  feet, 
and  besought  him  with  tears."  And  her  words^ 
corresponded  to  her  actions.  "  For  how,"  ex- 
claims she,  "  can  I  endure  to  see  the  evil  that 
shall  come  unto  my  people  1  or  how  can  I  en.- 
dure  to  see  the  destruction  of  my  kindred?" 

Such  a  tender  scene  would  have  melted  a 
harder  heart  than  that  of  Ahasuerus,  who, 
though  luxurious  and  thoughtless,  was  not 
cruel,  and,  besides  his  love  for  Esther,  felt 
ashamed  and  grieved  at  the  facility  with  which 
he  had  yielded  to  the  false  representations  and 
wicked  proposals  of  a  worthless  minister.  His 
reply  indicated  that  he  was  pained  at  the  dis- 
tress of  the  queen,  and  at  the  recollections  which 
it  brought  up  in  his  own  breast.  "  Then  the 
king  Ahasuerus  said  unto  Esther  the  queen, 
and  to  Mordecai  the  Jew,  behold  I  have  given 
Esther  the  house  of  Haman,  and  him  they  have 
hanged  upon  the  gallows,  because  he  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  Jews ;"  as  if  he  had  said.  You 
might  have  taken  this  as  an  evidence,  that  I 
was  as  anxious  as  you  can  be  that  every  thing 
should  be  done  to  prevent  their  slaughter ;  but 


240  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

that  this  may  be  done  with  every  legal  formali- 
ty, "  Write  ye  also  for  the  Jews,  as  it  Jiketh  you, 
in  the  king's  name,  and  seal  it  with  the  king's 
ring :  for  the  writing  which  is  written  in  the 
king's  name,  and  sealed  with  the  king's  ring, 
may  no  man  reverse,"  v.  7,  8.  This  last  clause 
may  be  understood  as  intimating  the  difficulty 
W'hich  stood  in  the  way  of  granting  literally  the 
request  of  Esther  to  reverse  the  letters  procured 
by  Haman,  and  as  pointing  out  to  Mordecai 
the  necessity  of  adopting  an  expedient  to  defeat 
the  operation  of  the  unrighteous  decree. 

It  was  a  fundamental  article  in  the  constitu- 
tion of  Persia,  that  a  law  once  enacted  was  irre- 
vocable. A  most  preposterous  provision  !  and 
worse  than  preposterous,  irrational  and  unrighte- 
ous. Of  all  the  absurdities  into  which  nations 
have  fallen  in  their  systems  of  legislation, 
especially  where  the  power  is  intrusted  to  the 
arbitrary  will  and  caprice  of  a  single  individual, 
this  is  the  most  absurd — giving  perpetuity  and 
effect  to  every  species  of  injustice,  and  oppression, 
and  cruelty,  proceeding  on  the  presumptuous 
assumption  of  infallibility,  and  arrogating  the 


T  H  E    P  E  R  S  I  A  N    L  A  W .  241 

right  which  belongs  exclusively  to  the  Supreme 
Being,  who  cannot  do  wrong,  all  whose  enact- 
ments are  necessarily  founded  in  truth  and 
rectitude,  and  "the  righteousness  of  whose  tes- 
timonies is  everlasting."  This  arrogance  of  the 
Persian  despots  has  never  been  equalled,  except 
by  the  claim  to  infallibility  set  up  by  "the  man 
of  sin,  the  son  of  perdition,  who  opposeth  and 
exalteth  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God,  or 
that  is  worshipped ;  so  that  he,  as  God,  sitteth  in 
the  temple  of  God,  showing  himself  that  he  is 
God."  No  human  authority,  civil  or  sacred, 
whether  exercised  singly  or  collectively,  is  free 
from  error,  and  consequently  its  decisions  and 
enactments  must  always  be  subject  to  review 
and  reversal.  Some  laws  may  be  morally  un- 
alterable, in  consequence  of  their  being  founded 
on  the  eternal  principles  of  rectitude  and  justice, 
so  that  the  repeal  of  them  would  be  unjust  and 
morally  wrong;  but  this  does  not  belong  to 
them  simply  as  human  laws,  with  respect  to  all 
of  which  the  maxim  of  our  law  holds  good — the 
legislatL;;e  which  enacts  can  annul. 

This  absurd  pretension  to  inviolability  in 
21 


S42  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

the  Persian  code  necessarily  led  to  expedients 
equally  absurd  in  themselves,  when  it  was  found 
that  measures  had  obtained  the  royal  assent 
which  were  impolitic  and  pernicious — or  when 
new  princes  and  ministers  wished  to  set  aside  the 
measures  of  their  predecessors.  Recourse  was 
had  to  one  of  them  on  the  present  occasion. 
The  letters  of  Haman,  giving  permission  and 
authority  to  kill  the  Jews,  could  not  be  revoked  ; 
but  other  letters  were  written  by  Mordecai, 
giving  permission  and  authority  to  the  Jews,  in 
every  city,  to  gather  themselves  together  for  the 
defence  of  their  lives,  and  "  to  destroy,  to  slay, 
and  cause  to  perish  all  the  power  of  the  people 
and  province  that  would  assault  them."  These 
letters  were  written  by  the  direction  of  Mordecai, 
according  to  the  powers  given  him  in  the  king's 
name,  and  sealed  with  the  king's  ring.  Copies 
of  them  so  sealed  were  sent  to  the  Jews,  and  to 
the  lieutenants,  deputies,  and  rulers  of  every 
province  of  the  empire,  in  their  respective  lan- 
guages. Two  months  had  elapsed  since  the 
former  letters  were  issued  and  circulated  ;  and 
nine  months  remained  before  the  day  fixed  in 


MORDECAl's    LETTERS.  243 

them  for  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  nation. 
There  was,  therefore,  time  for  the  circulation  of 
the  new  letters;  but  that  time  was  precious,  and 
there  was  no  room  for  delay.  "  That  the  Jews 
should  be  ready  against  that  day  to  avenge 
themselves  on  their  enemies,"  Mordecai  sent 
the  "  letters  by  posts  on  horseback,  and  riders 
on  mules,  camels,  and  young  dromedaries:" 
with  strict  injunctions  to  use  all  despatch  in  cir- 
culating them.  In  the  meantime  "  the  decree 
was  given  at  Shushan  the  palace;"  that  is,  it 
was  published  in  the  capital  where  the  court 
was  held,  to  give  it  the  greater  authority. 

This  decree  was  an  exact  counterpart  of 
Haman's.  It  gave  the  Jews  authority  to  slay 
all  that  should  assault  them ;  it  protected  or 
indemnified  them,  if,  in  their  necessary  defence, 
they  should  put  to  death  women  and  children  ; 
and  it  authorized  them  to  take  the  spoil  of  their 
enemies.  Not  that  Mordecai  intended  them  to 
proceed  so  far,  and  we  shall  afterwards  see  that 
the  Jews  stopped  short  of  this.  But  these  pro- 
visions were  requisite  at  once  for  their  indemni- 
fication, and  to  strike  their  enemies  with  terror. 


244         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

In  both  cases  the  decree  was  circulated  with 
speed;  but  in  the  Jattercase  there  was  a  greater 
urgency  on  the  part  of  the  king — for  the  couriers 
who  went  out  were  "  hastened  and  pressed  on  by 
the  king's  commandment." 

But  in  other  respects  there  was  a  great  dif- 
ference between  the  two  edicts.  After  the 
former  had  been  issued,  "the  king  and  Haman 
sat  down  to  drink,"  regardless  of,  if  not  exult- 
ing over,  the  misery  they  had  created.  After 
the  last  decree  was  issued,  "Mordecai  went 
out  from  the  presence  of  the  king,"  that  he 
might  fulfil  the  duties  of  the  high  trust  with 
which  he  was  now  charged ;  and  that  all  might 
know  that  the  king  had  transferred  his  confi- 
dence to  him,  he  went  out,  by  the  king's  orders, 
"  in  royal  apparel  of  blue  and  white,  and  with 
a  great  crown  of  gold,  and  with  a  garment  of 
fine  linen  and  purple."  What  a  reverse  !  But 
a  few  days  ago,  Mordecai  appeared  in  the 
streets  of  Shushan  in  sackcloth,  and  with  ashes 
on  his  head  ;  now,  he  is  conducted  through  the 
same  streets  clothed  in  purple,  and  with  a  coro- 
net on  his  head.     True  it  is,  that  these  thinofs 


ROBES     OF     OFFICE.  245 

are  in  themselves  of  no  importance ;  and  none 
but  a  weak  man  will  be  vain  of  them.  They 
are  mere  trappings,  which  are  often  worn  by 
the  most  worthless,  so  far  as  character  is  con- 
cerned. The  true  ornaments  do  not  consist 
"in  wearing  of  gold  or  putting  on  of  apparel, 
but  those  of  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  in  that 
which  is  not  corruptible."  Mordecai  was  as 
great — nay,  he  was  greater  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  more  deserving  of  respect  and  honour  from 
men,  when  he  was  clad  in  sackcloth,  than 
when  he  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the 
king  gorgeousl};  apparelled.  But  what  we  are 
required  to  consider  here  is  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  operation  of  his  hands.  It  was 
not  Ahasuerus,  but  the  providence  of  God, 
which  said,  "  Bring  forth  the  best  robe  and 
put  it  on  him."  This  was  done  to  the  man 
whom  the  King  of  heaven  delighted  to  honour; 
and  in  honouring  him  he  showed  the  regard 
which  he  had  for  his  people,  the  people  of  the 
God  of  Abraham,  Mordecai  in  sackcloth  was 
the  representative  of  Jacob  in  trouble, — Morde- 
cai in  purple  is  the  representative  of  Jacob  in 
21* 


246  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

triumph ;  and  the  honour  conferred  on  him. 
was  an  earnest,  not  only  of  the  deliverance  of 
the  scattered  tribes  of  Israel,  but  of  the  enlarge- 
ment to  be  granted  to  those  who  had  returned 
to  their  own  land,  and  which  they  came  to  ex- 
perience under  the  administration  of  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah.  "  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour;  I  gave 
Egypt  for  thy  ransom,  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for 
thee.  Since  thou  wast  precious  in  my  sight 
thou  hast  been  honourable,  and  I  have  loved 
thee :  therefore  will  I  give  men  for  thee,  and 
people  for  thy  life."  "  Awake,  awake;  put  on 
thy  strength,  O  Zion,  put  on  thy  beautiful  gar- 
ments, O  Jerusalem,  the  holy  city  :  for  hence- 
forth there  shall  no  more  come  into  thee  the 
uncircumcised,  and  the  unclean.  Shake  thy- 
self from  the  dust ;  arise,  and  sit  down,  O  Jeru- 
salem: loose  thyself  from  the  bands  of  thy 
neck,  O  captive  daughter  of  Zion.  For  thus 
saith  the  Lord,  Ye  have  sold  yourselves  for 
nought,  and  ye  shall  be  redeemed  without 
money." 

Nor  is  it  a  small  matter,  or  a  thing  to  be 


PIOUS    RULERS.  247 

despised  or  overlooked,  when  the  ensigns  of 
worldly  honour  are  put  into  the  hands  of  piety, 
and  men  who  fear  God  are  advanced  to  power. 
This  is  an  earnest  of  that  expected  and  desirable 
day,  when  "  the  kingdom  and  the  dominion,  and 
the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole 
heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High."  And  it  is  an  event  highly  advantageous 
to  the  temporal  welfare  of  those  over  whom 
their  authority  and  influence  extend. 

Nations  have  sometimes  suffered  from  the 
imbecility  and  incapacity  of  their  rulers,  but 
much  more  frequently  from  their  selfishness, 
ambition,  and  want  of  principle.  Those  that 
fear  God  will  hate  covetousness,  and  cultivate 
justice,  mercy,  and  peace.  The  Persian  em- 
pire had  groaned  under  the  oppression  of  a 
wicked  minister,  and  welcomed  the  accession 
to  power  of  one  of  an  opposite  character,  though 
his  talents  for  rule  were  yet  untried.  This  is 
strongly  expressed  in  the  contrast  of  feeling 
which  pervaded  the  capital  at  the  issuing  of  the 
two  decrees.  When  the  decree  for  extermina- 
ting the  Jews  was  promulgated,  "  the  city  Shu- 


248  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

shan  was  perplexed ;"  but  when  the  second  de- 
cree was  made  known,  and  Mordecai  was  pro- 
claimed minister  of  state,  "  the  cily  Shuslian  re- 
joiced, and  ivas  glad.^^  The  former  feeling  no 
doubt  reflects  credit  on  the  Jews,  as  it  shows  that 
they  had  conducted  themselves  inoffensively  in 
the  land  of  their  captivity,  so  that  their  masters 
sympathized  with  their  afflictions ;  but  it  also 
shows  how  odions  the  haughty  favourite  had 
made  himself.  Though  none  of  the  natives 
durst  breathe  a  wkisper  against  him,  and  Mor- 
decai alone  had  the  firmness  not  to  bow  a  knee 
to  the  minion,  yet  they  secretly  dreaded  and  ex- 
ecrated him ;  and,  now  when  he  is  fallen,  they 
exult  in  the  prospect  of  the  happiness  which 
they  anticipate  under  the  administration  of  one 
who  was  as  unlike  him  as  light  is  to  darkness. 
"  When  it  goeth  well  with  the  righteous  the 
city  rejoiceth ;  and  when  the  wicked  perish, 
there  is  shouting.  By  the  blessing  of  the  up- 
right the  city  is  exalted :  but  it  is  overthrown 
by  the  mouth  of  the  wicked."  These  are  the 
words  of  a  Book  which  was  not  intended  to 
teach  political  economy,  or  the  way  to  national 


PIOUS    RULERS.  249 

wealth,  but  which  teaches  a  far  higher  wisdom, 
— that  moral  and  religious  economy,  which  is 
the  way  to  national,  as  well  as  domestic  and  in- 
dividual happiness,  and  to  true  greatness,  for  it 
is  "  righteousness  that  exalteth  a  nation." 

If  the  heathen  inhabitants  of  the  capital  re- 
joiced at  the  change  which  had  taken  place, 
what  must  the  feelings  of  the  Jews  have  been ! 
Formerly,  "in  every  province  whithersoever 
the  king's  commandment  and  his  decree  came, 
there  was  great  mourning  among  the  Jews, 
and  fasting,  and  weeping,  and  wailing,  and 
many  lay  in  sackcloth  and  ashes."  But  now, 
how  changed  is  every  thing !  "  The  Jews  had 
light,  and  gladness,  and  joy,  and  honour ;  and 
in  ever}'-  province,  and  in  every  city,  whither- 
soever the  king's  commandment  and  his  de- 
cree came,  the  Jews  had  joy  and  gladness,  a 
feast,  and  a  good  day."  What  a  blessing  is  a 
wise  and  upright  administration  of  government, 
and  what  are  all  the  trophies  of  ambition,  and 
all  the  pleasures  which  an  eastern  court  can 
present,  compared  with  the  glory  and  the  luxu- 
ry which  that  prince  enjoys,  who  sees  his  pec- 


250  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

pie  happy  and  grateful  under  his  sway !  And 
how  may  this  be  accomplished  1  Listen  to  the 
oracle.  "  The  God  of  Israel  said,  the  Rock  of 
Israel  spake  to  me,  He  tliat  ruleth  over  merii 
must  be  just,  ruling  in  the  fear  of  God.  And 
he  shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  morning  when 
the  sun  riseth,  even  a  morning  without  clouds ; 
as  the  tender  grass  springing  out  of  the  earth 
by  clear  shining  after  rain," 

The  joy  felt  by  the  Jews  was  greatly  en- 
hanced by  the  distress  into  which  they  had 
lately  been  plunged,  and  by  the  suddenness  and 
strangeness  of  the  transition.  They  felt  like  a 
sick  man  at  the  point  of  death,  when  he  hears 
the  voice,  Deliver  from  going  down  to  the  pit; 
or  like  a  criminal  expecting  the  hour  of  ^his 
execution,  when  a  pardon  is  put  into  his  hand. 
They  felt  like  their  fathers  when  the  Lord  turn- 
ed back  the  captivity  of  Zion  ;  "they  were  like 
them  that  dream ;  their  mouth  was  filled  with 
laughter,  and  their  tongue  with  singing."  And 
such,  my  friends,  will  be  the  feelings  of  the 
ransomed  of  the  Lord,  when  they  shall  come  to 
the  heavenly  Zion  ;  the  recollection  of  all  that 


J  0  Y    0  F    T  H  E    J  E  W  S  .  251 

they  have  suffered  here  shall  only  serve  to 
accent  their  happiness,  and  convert  it  into  a  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  "  Beloved, 
think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial 
which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange 
thing  happened  unto  you  ;  but  rejoice,  inasmuch 
as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings  ;  that 
when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may  be 
glad  also  with  exceeding  joy." 

The  deliverances  experienced  in  time  by  the 
church  and  people  of  Jehovah  are  earnests  of 
that  felicity  and  glory  which  shall  be  enjoyed 
in  the  future  world.  But  they  are  also  produc- 
tive of  benefits  in  this  life,  which  make  them 
sources  of  joy  and  thanksgiving  to  all  well- 
affected  minds.  Besides  confirming  weak  dis- 
ciples, and  adding  alacrity  to  the  strong,  they 
are  often  blessed  for  making  converts,  and 
inducing  strangers  to  join  themselves  to  the 
people  of  God.  Thus  it  is  written,  "  The 
Lord  will  have  mercy  on  Jacob,  and  will  yet 
choose  Israel,  and  set  them  in  their  own  land ; 
and  the  strangers  shall  be  joined  Avith  them, 
and  they  shall  cleave  to  the  house  of  Jacob." 


852  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

A  similar  prediction,  or  rather  promise,  was 
given  forth  by  Zechariah,  when  the  fasts 
hitherto  kept  by  the  returned  captives  should  be 
turned  into  joy  and  gladness,  and  cheerful 
feasts.  "  There  shall  come  people,  and  the  in- 
habitants of  many  cities ;  and  the  inhabitants  of 
one  city  shall  go  to  another,  saying,  let  us  go 
speedily  to  pray  before  the  Lord,  and  to  seek 
the  Lord  of  hosts :  I  will  go  also.  Yea,  many- 
people  and  strong  nations  shall  come  to  seek 
the  Lord  of  hosts  in  Jerusalem,  and  to  pray  be- 
fore the  Lord.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
In  those  days  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  ten 
men  shall  take  hold,  out  of  all  languages  of  the 
nations,  even  shall  take  hold  of  the  skirt  of  him 
that  is  a  Jew,  saying,  We  will  go  with  you ; 
for  we  have  heard  that  God  is  with  you." 

These  promises  were  partly  fulfilled  in  con- 
sequence of  the  visible  interposition  of  divine 
providence,  on  the  occasion  referred  to  in  the 
text.  "  Many  of  the  people  of  the  land  became 
Jews,  for  the  fear  of  the  Jews  fell  upon  them." 
They  became  proselytes  to  the  Jewish  religion, 
(for  no  other  meaning  can  be  applied  to  the 


PROMISES    TO    THE    CHURCH.    253 

words,  when  the  Jews  were  foreigners,)  renoun- 
ced idolatry,  and  worshipped  the  true  God. 
"When  the  church  prospers,  and  is  smiled 
upon,"  says  a  pious  commentator,  "many  will 
come  into  it  that  will  be  shy  of  it  when  it  is  in 
trouble."  But  w^e  must  not  altogether  despise 
such  conversions.  Though  nothing  but  will- 
ing and  cordial  submission  will  advantage 
the  souls  of  individuals,  God  can  glorify  him- 
self, and  Christ  is  glorified  in  the  "  professed 
subjection"  of  men.  "  Thou  hast  delivered  me 
from  the  strivings  of  the  people  ;  and  thou  hast 
made  me  the  head  of  the  heathen  ;  a  people 
whom  I  have  not  known  shall  serve  me.  As 
soon  as  they  hear  of  me,  they  shall  obey  me; 
the  strangers  shall  submit  themselves  unto  me ;" 
or,  as  it  is  in  the  margin,  "shall  yield  feigned 
obedience  unto  me."  Not  fear,  but  love,  is  the 
principle  of  genuine  and  evangelical  obedience. 
But  the  Spirit  of  God  makes  use  of  the  natural 
principle  of  fear,  in  awakening  persons  to  a 
concern  about  salvation.  "  Save  yourselves 
from  this  untoward  generation,"  was  an  apos- 
tolical exhortation  ;  and  among  the  effects  pro- 
22 


254  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

fluced  by  the  preaching  and  miracles  of  the 
primitive  church,  this  is  particularly  specified^ 
that  "  fear  came  upon  ever}'-  soul ;"  and  again, 
"great  fear  came  upon  all  the  church,  and 
upon  as  many  as  heard  these  things;"  after 
which  it  follows,  "  and  believers  were  the  more 
added  to  the  Lord,  multitudes  both  of  men  and 


255 


LECTURE    SIXTEENTH 


Esther  IX.    1—16. 

Noic,  in  the  twelfth  month  (that  is,  the  month  Adar,)  on  the 
thirteenth  day  of  the  same,  when  the  king^s  commandment 
and  his  decree  drew  near  to  he  put  into  execution,  in  the 
day  that  tlie  enemies  of  the  Jews  hoped  to  have  power  over 
them,  (tliough  it  teas  turned  to  the  contrary,  that  the  Jews 
had  rule  over  them  that  hated  them,)  the  Jews  gathered 
iliemselves  together  in  their  cities,  throughout  all  the 
provinces  of  the  king  Ahasuerus,  to  lay  hand  on  such  as 
sought  tlieir  hurt :  and  no  man  could  withstand  them; 
for  the  fear  of  them  fell  upon  all  people.  And  all  the 
rulers  of  the  provinces,  and  the  lieutenants,  and  the 
deputies,  and  officers  of  the,  king,  helped  tlie  Jews ;  because 
the  fear  of  Mordecai  fell  upon  them.  For  Mordecai  was 
great  in  the  king^s  house,  and  his  fame  went  throughout 
all  the  provinces  :  for  this  man  Mordecai  icaxed  greater 
and  greater.  Thus  the  Jews  smote  all  their  enemies  icith 
the  stroke  of  the  sword,  and  slaughter,  and  destruction, 
and  did  what  they  would  unto  those  that  hated  them.  And 
in  Shushan  the  palace  the  Jews  slew  and  destroyed  Jive 


256  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

hundred  men.  And  ParsJiandatha,  and  Dalphon,  and 
Aspatha,  and  Poratha,  and  Adalia,  and  Aridatha,  and 
Parmashta,  Arisai,  and  Aridai,  and  Vajezatha^  the  ten 
sons  of  Hainan  the  son  of  Hammedatha,  the  enemy  of  the 
Jews,  slew  they;  hut  on  the  spoil  laid  they  not  their  hand. 
On  that  day  the  number  of  those  that  were  slain  in 
Shushan  the  palace  was  brought  before  the  king.  And 
the  king  said  unto  Esther  the  queen,  The  Jeics  have  slain 
and  destroyed  five  hundred  men  in  Shushan  the  palace,, 
and  the  ten  sons  of  Haman :  what  have  they  done  in  the 
rest  of  the  king's  prociyiccs  1  Now  ichat  is  thy  petition  ? 
and  it  shall  he  granted  thee :  or  what  is  thy  request 
farther?  and  it  shall  he  done.  Then  said  Esther,  Jf  it 
please  the  king,  let  it  he  granted  to  the  Jews  which  are  in 
Shusha7i  to  do  to-morrow  also  according  to  this  day^s 
decree,  and  let  Haman's  ten  sons  be  hanged  upon  the 
gallows.  And  the  king  commanded  it  so  to  he  done : 
and  the  decree  icas  given  at  Shushan;  and  they  hanged 
Hamuns  ten  sons.  For  the  Jews  that  were  in  Shushan 
gathered  themselves  together  on  the  fourteenth  day  also 
of  the  month  Adar,  and  slew  three  hundred  men  at 
Shushan;  hut  on  the  prey  they  laid  not  their  hand.  But 
the  other  Jeics  that  tcere  in  the  king's  provinces  gathered 
themselves  together,  and  stood  for  their  lives,  and  had 
rest  from  their  enemies,  and  slew  of  their  foes  severity  and 
five  thousand,  hut  they  laid  not  their  hands  on  tJie  prey. 

In  our  last  lecture  we  considered  the  decree 
which  Esther  obtained  from  the  king  in  behalf 


THE    CONFLICTING    EDICTS.      257 

of  her  countrymen,  with  the  effect  which  its 
promulgation  had,  both  on  the  Jews  and  on  the 
natives  of  Persia.  The  city  of  Shushan  rejoiced 
and  was  glad  ;  the  Jews  had  light  and  gladness, 
and  joy  and  honour ;  and  this  feeling  was  not 
confined  to  the  capital,  but  diffused  itself  over 
every  province  and  city,  in  which  the  decree  was 
made  known.  Nor  was  this  all — many  Pagans 
were  induced  by  it  to  become  proselytes  to  the 
Jewish  religion,  so  evident  and  palpable  was  the 
interposition  of  heaven  in  their  behalf  Thus 
was  accomplished  the  prediction  uttered  some 
time  before  by  the  prophet  Zechariah. 

This  account  is  prospective,  and  not  limited 
to  the  time  which  elapsed  between  the  procla- 
mation and  execution  of  the  decree.  That 
interval  was  necessarily  a  period  of  suspense 
and  anxiety,  both  to  the  Jews  and  to  their  ad- 
versaries. There  were  two  royal  edicts  equally 
in  force — the  one  authorizing  the  slaughter  of 
the  Jews  on  the  13th  of  the  month  Adar;  and 
the  other  authorizing  the  Jews  to  draw  the 
sword  in  defence  of  their  lives  on  that  day.  In 
any  other  country  a  proclamation  would  have 
22* 


25S  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

been  made,  declaring-  that  the  former  decree 
had  been  procured  by  surprise  and  on  false 
information,  annulling  it  in  all  its  clauses,  and 
prohibiting-  all  the  subjects  from  taking-  away 
the  life  of  a  single  Jew,  touching  his  property, 
or  in  any  way  molesting  him.  But  this  rational 
method  of  procedure  was  prevented  by  a  pre- 
posterous constitution  in  the  Persian  govern- 
ment, which  provided  that  whatever  had  passed 
the  royal  signet,  no  man,  not  even  the  monarch, 
could  reverse.  The  latter  decree  did  not  set 
aside  or  abrogate  the  former,  so  that  it  was  legal 
to  destroy  the  Jewish  nation  ;  and  any  one  who 
should  take  away  the  life  of  a  Jew,  and  seize 
his  property,  was  secured  by  law  against  pun- 
ishment or  responsibility.  It  was  a  species  of 
judicial  combat.  The  cause  of  the  Jews  was  to 
be  tried  by  battle,  and  the  day  was  fixed  by 
authority.  Judging  of  this  affair  humanly,  we 
perceive  at  once  impolicy  and  injustice.  A 
civil  war  is  proclaimed  :  two  paities  in  the  state 
are  armed  against  one  another ;  the  innocent 
and  the  guilty  are  placed  on  a  level — or  rather, 
innocence  is  perilled  on  the  accidents  of  war ; 


THE    CONFLICT.  259 

and  authority,  instead  of  interposing  in  its  de- 
fence, and  for  the  preservation  of  public  tran- 
quillity, stands  by,  as  a  passive  spectator  of  the 
sanguinary  struggle.  These  things  ought  not 
to  have  been  so ;  and  that  they  were  so,  was  not 
the  fault  of  Esther  and  Mordecai,  whose  busi- 
ness and  duty  it  was  to  avail  themselves  of  all 
the  means  which  nature  and  the  laws  of  the 
country  afforded  for  defending  their  lives  and 
those  of  their  kindred.  But  there  is  another 
light  in  which  the  affair  is  to  be  viewed,  and  in 
which  we  see  every  thing  to  be  praised.  It  was 
the  plan  of  heaven  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
chosen  people,  and  the  punishment  of  their  ene- 
mies. The  cause  of  the  Jews  was  subjected  to 
the  judgment  of  God,  who  is  the  Lord  of  armies, 
and  who  had  laid  his  plans  so  as  to  secure  the 
■victory  to  calumniated  and  persecuted  innocence. 

In  the  passage  under  consideration  we  have 
an  interesting  account  of  the  decisive  struggle. 
The  day  of  decision  came ;  both  parties  were 
prepared  for  the  combat,  and  victory  declared 
for  the  right. 

The  first  feature  of  the  conflict  is  that  the 


260         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

aggression  was  on  the  part  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Jews,  who  stood  entirely  on  the  defensive.  All 
that  was  granted  to  the  Jews  by  the  king  was 
"  to  stand  for  their  life,  to  destroy,  to  slay,  and 
to  cause  to  perish,  all  the  power  of  the  people 
and  province  that  would  assault  them.''  And 
they  did  not  go  beyond  this,  for  they  "  gathered 
themselves  together  in  their  cities,  and  through- 
oat  all  the  provinces  of  the  king  Ahasuerus,  to 
lay  hand  on  such  as  sought  their  hurt."  They 
stood  for  their  lives,  and  touched  none  but  their 
"  enemies/'  and  those  "  that  hated  them."  Self- 
preservation  is  the  first  law  of  nature,  and  defen- 
sive war  is  founded  upon  it.  It  is  a  dictate  of 
common  reason  that  it  is  lawful  to  repel  force 
by  force,  and  to  take  arms  against  those  that 
come  in  hostile  array.  The  tendency  of  the 
opposite  doctrine,  in  the  present  state  of  human 
nature,  would  be  to  bind  the  hands  of  the  inno- 
cent and  peaceable,  and  expose  them  as  a  helpless 
prey  to  the  turbulent  and  mischievous.  It  is  as 
warrantable  to  employ  carnal  weapons  against 
carnal  violence,  as  it  is  to  use  spiritual  weapons 
against  spiritual  violence. 


ANTIPATHY    TO    THE    JEWS.     261 

It  might  be  thought  that  the  declared  favour 
of  the  king,  together  with  the  known  fact  that 
Mordecai  was  the  prime  minister  and  chief 
favourite  at  court,  would  have  effectually  de- 
terred any  from  attacking  the  Jewsf,  and  con- 
sequently that  there  would  be  no  reason  for  the 
shedding  of  blood.  But  we  find  that  it  was 
otherwise,  nor  is  it  difficult  to  account  for  the 
fact.  The  Jews  had  many  enemies  among  the 
nations  which  composed  the  Persian  empire, 
including  those  who  had  been  carried  captive 
from  the  countries  bordering  on  Palestine. 
The  decree  of  Haraan  had  called  forth  the 
ancient  and  hereditary  hatred  of  such,  while  it 
induced  others  to  join  them  by  the  prospect  of 
a  rich  booty  which  it  held  out.  During  the 
three  months  which  elapsed  between  this  and 
Mordecai's  decree,  there  was  sufficient  time  for 
this  hostile  feeling  to  manifest  itself  Looking 
upon  the  Jews  as  a  devoted  people,  their  ene- 
mies would  not  scruple  to  declare,  in  every 
way,  their  intentions  to  revenge  upon  them  their 
old  quarrels;  and  when  once  persons  have 
avowed  their  intentions,  and  fairly  embarked  in 


262  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

any  cause,  however  desperate,  they  are  apt  to 
persevere  in  it  with  unrelenting  obstinacy. 
We  see  how  Pharaoh  hardened  his  heart,  and 
continued  to  refuse  to  let  Israel  go,  though  his 
land  was  laid  waste  with  plagues  and  judg- 
ments inflicted,  according  to  his  own  repeated 
confession,  by  heaven.  In  like  manner,  the 
Canaanites,  though  the  tidings  of  the  victories 
gained  by  the  Israelites  over  Og  and  Sihon 
made  their  hearts  meJt,  so  that  no  more  courage 
remained  in  any  man,  yet  they  soon  rallied, 
formed  powerful  confederacies  among  them- 
selves, and  appeared  repeatedly  on  the  field  of 
battle.  The  proclamation  of  Mordecai's  decree, 
in  proportion  as  it  gladdened  the  hearts  of  the 
victims  of  their  fury,  must  have  thrown  a  damp 
on  the  spirits  of  those  who  thirsted  for  blood  and 
rapine.  But  it  also  whetted  their  revenge,  by 
adding  to  it  disappointment,  chagrin,  and  fear. 
The  fall  of  Haman,  and  the  advancement  of 
Mordecai,  instead  of  convincing  them  of  the  folly 
of  their  enterprise,servedbutto  exasperate  their 
minds,  and  make  them  more  outrageous.  They 
had  gone  too  far  to  retract.    They  had  provoked 


INFATUATION    OF    THE    ENEMY.    263 

the  Jews  beyond  the  hope  of  forgiveness,  as  they 
concluded,  by  their  threatenings,  their  taunts, 
and  their  injuries.  Their  names,  and  abodes, 
and  concerns  were  all  known  ;  and  if  they  sat 
still,  or  discovered  cowardice  or  irresolution, 
what  might  they  expect  but  that  they  would  be 
rewarded  as  they  had  purposed  to  reward  the 
Jew^s?  They  were  more  numerous  and  pow- 
erful than  the  objects  of  their  hatred.  The 
contest  was  to  be  decided  by  the  sword.  What 
would  these  feeble  Jews  do  ?  Would  they 
make  an  end  of  their  adversaries  in  a  day? 
The  decree  procured  by  Haman  protected  them 
from  being  called  legally  to  account  for  the 
slaughter  they  might  commit.  And  as  for  the 
wrath  of  Mordecai,  he  held  his  place  by  the  pre- 
carious  favour  of  an  arbitrary  prince,  which  he 
might  soon  lose.  The  sudden  advancement  of 
a  stranger  had  raised  the  envy  of  the  proud 
sataps  of  Persia,  and  means  might  be  found 
to  take  him  ofT  before  the  day  of  decision 
arrived.  By  such  considerations  they  would 
encourage  themselves,  and  strengthen  their  con- 
federacy, during  the  nine  months  which  inter- 


264  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER, 

vened.  The  eighty-third  Psalm,  if  not  com- 
posed on  this  occasion,  may  be  viewed  as  de- 
scriptive of  their  feelings  and  plans. 

We  may  learn  from  this  part  of  the  history 
how  dangerous  it  is  to  enter  on  a  wicked 
course,  especially  in  concert  with  others.  Per- 
sons go  on  from  evil  to  worse ;  they  encourage 
one  another  in  mischief  This  is  especially 
true  as  to  those  practices  which  originate  in 
malice,  as  to  which  the  devil,  who  was  a  mur- 
derer from  the  beginning,  exerts  a  peculiar  in- 
fluence, in  urging  his  children  to  the  most  vio- 
lent extremes.  "  This  is  the  message  that  ye 
heard  from  the  beginning,  that  w^e  should  love 
one  another.  Not  as  Cain,  who  was  of  that 
wicked  one,  and  slew  his  brother.  And  where- 
fore slew  he  him?  Because  his  own  works 
were  evil,  and  his  brother's  righteous."  But  in 
addition  to  the  considerations  mentioned,  we 
should  stand  in  awe  of  the  righteous  judgment 
of  God,  who  gives  up  wicked  men  to  the  un- 
controlled corruption  of  their  own  hearts,  and 
to  the  suggestions  of  the  evil  one,  so  that  they 
often  rush  with   their    eyes  open  upon  ruin. 


THE    JEWS    VICTORY.  265 

"Whom  God  means  to  destroy,  he  first  infatu- 
ates." 

This  was  remarkably  exemplified  in  the  case 
before  us.  In  spite  of  all  the  discouragements 
thrown  in  their  way,  and  though  heaven  and 
earth  both  frowned  upon  them,  the  enemies  of 
the  Jews  persisted  in  their  hostile  intentions, 
and  assumed  an  offensive  posture  on  the  long 
looked -for  day. 

Infatuated  men  !  Do  you  not  consider  that 
you  are  fighting  against  heaven,  whose  pecu- 
liar charge  the  Jews,  as  the  worshippers  of  the 
true  God,  are  7  That  ye  are  rushing  on  the 
thick  bosses  of  Jehovah's  buckler,  and  must  be 
crushed  in  the  conflict?  "  Their  Redeemer  is 
strong;  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  his  name;  he  shall 
thoroughly  plead  their  cause,  that  he  may  give 
rest  to  the  land." 

The  Jews  were  the  conquerors.  "  The  day 
in  which  their  enemies  hoped  to  have  power 
over  them  was  turned  to  the  contrary,  so  that 
the  Jews  had  rule  over  those  that  hated  them." 
This  was  the  doing  of  the  Lord,  and  ought  to 
be  wondrous  in  our  eyes.  But  though  the  vic- 
23 


266  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

tory  was  of  God,  means  were  employed  in  win- 
ning it  5  and  the  first  was,  the  valour  and  good 
conduct  of  the  Jews  themselves.  They  "  stood 
for  their  lives,"  and  "  remembering  the  Lord, 
who  is  great  and  terrible,"  "fought  for  their 
brethren,  their  sons,  and  their  daughters,  their 
wives,  and  their  houses."  And  their  prudence 
equalled  their  courage.  Had  each  endeavour- 
ed to  protect  himself  and  his  family,  they  would 
have  become  an  easy  prey  to  their  foes ;  but 
they  "  gathered  themselves  together  in  their 
cities  in  all  the  provinces,"  and  in  this  way  en- 
couraged one  another,  and  presented  a  formi- 
dable front  to  their  adversaries.  Secondly, 
their  enemies  were  struck  with  terror.  Dis- 
appointed of  the  hopes  which  they  had  cherish- 
ed, perceiving  the  boldness  and  wise  conduct  of 
the  Jews,  and  convinced  in  their  own  breasts 
that  they  were  embarked  in  an  unjust  and  cri- 
minal design,  they  lost  courage  and  yielded  up 
the  day.  Thirdly,  the  rulers  in  the  different 
provinces  encouraged  the  Jews  by  their  coun- 
tenance, being  induced  to  this  by  the  awe  in 
which  they  stood  of  Mordecai,  who  not  only  re- 


THE    FATE     OF    HAMAN's    SONS.    267 

tained  his  high  place,  but  rose  daily  in  the 
royal  favour,  and  in  his  reputation  as  an  able 
and  virtuous  statesman. 

Yet  the  victory  was  not  so  easily  gained  as 
might  have  been  supposed.  The  enemies  of 
the  Jews  made  a  desperate  resistance,  as  men 
who,  in  drawing  the  sword,  had  thrown  away 
the  scabbard,  and  staked  their  all  in  the  contest. 
This  appears  from  the  numbers  killed,  amount- 
ing to  seventy-five  thousand,  in  all  the  provinces. 
It  may  be  collected  also  from  the  circumstance, 
that  it  was  necessary  for  the  governors  of 
provinces  to  help  the  Jews;  and  in  fine,  it 
appears  from  the  fact,  that  the  struggle  was  not 
over  on  the  first  day  in  some  places  of  the 
empire. 

On  the  evening  of  this  eventful  day,  the  king 
acquainted  Esther  with  the  result — that  her 
countrymen  had  slain  in  Shushan  five  hundred 
men,  including  the  ten  sons  of  Haman  ;  adding, 
that  he  was  ready  to  grant  any  additional 
request  for  securing  the  lives  of  her  country- 
men, and  avenging  them  of  their  enemies.  She 
asked  two  things, — first,  that  the  dead  bodies  of 


268  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

Haman's  sons  should  be  hung  up  on  the  gal- 
lows which  their  father  had  destined  for  Mor- 
decai.  Haman  had  boasted  of  the  muhitade  of 
his  children  ;  and  as  the  names  of  the  ten  are 
mentioned,  it  is  likely  that  they  had  been  ad- 
vanced to  high  offices  during  their  father's  min- 
istry. At  the  time  of  his  death,  Esther  had  not 
sought  their  life,  and  they  might  have  escaped; 
but  they  chose  to  remain  in  the  capital,  and  fell 
in  the  oreneral  slaughter  of  the  adversaries  of 
the  Jews.  The  family  had  conspired  for  the 
destruction  of  the  Jews ;  and  the  suspension  of 
the  dead  bodies  of  great  criminals  has  been 
common  among  nations  both  ancient  and  mod- 
ern. A  second  request  presented  by  Esther  was, 
that  it  should  be  granted  to  the  Jews  to  continue 
the  battle  on  the  following  day.  There  is  no 
part  of  Esther's  conduct  which  warrants  us  to 
conclude  that  she  was  of  a  sanguinary  disposi- 
tion, or  took  pleasure  in  slaughter.  But  this 
was  necessary  to  crush  the  malignant  part}', 
and  to  strike  terror  into  the  minds  of  the  invete- 
rate enemies  of  the  Jews.  Accordingly,  it  was 
confined  to  the  capital,  from  which  the  news 


SYMPATHY    WITH    CRIMINALS.    269 

would  spread  through  the  empire,  and  convince 
all  that  the  king  was  determined  to  protect  and 
favour  a  people  which  had  been  unjustly  devo- 
ted to  extermination.  None  will  be  disposed  to 
blame  this  measure,  who  entertain  a  due  reve- 
rence for  the  Scriptures,  and  who  recollect  the 
prayer  of  Joshua :  "  Then  spake  Joshua  to  the 
Lord,  in  the  day  when  the  Lord  delivered  up 
the  Amorites  before  the  children  of  Israel,  and 
he  said  in  the  sight  of  Israel,  Sun,  stand  thou 
etill  upon  Gibeon ;  and  thou,  Moon,  in  the  val- 
ley of  Ajalon.  And  the  sun  stood  still,  and  the 
moon  stayed,  until  the  people  had  avenged 
themselves  upon  their  enemies.  Is  not  this 
written  in  the  book  of  Jasher  ?  So  the  sun 
stood  still  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  and  hasted 
not  to  go  down  about  a  whole  day.  And  there 
was  no  day  like  that  before  it,  or  after  it,  that 
the  Lord  hearkened  unto  the  voice  of  a  man;  for 
the  Lord  fought  for  Israel,"  (chap.  x.  12 — 14.) 
It  is  dangerous  to  trust  our  feelings  in  mat- 
ters of  moral  right  and  wrong.  Hitherto  they 
have  been  on  the  side  of  the  innocent  Jews, 
doomed  as  they  were  to  the  slaughter;  and 
23* 


270  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

now  when  we  come  to  their  deliverance,  as 
planned  by  heaven,  and  accomplished  in  the 
only  way  in  which,  without  a  miracle,  it  could 
have  been  accomplished,  consistently  with  the 
laws  of  the  country,  our  feelings  are  apt  to 
rebel,  and  to  go  over  to  the  side  of  the  enemy 
and  the  oppressor.  At  the  oxecution  of  a 
criminal  we  are  apt  to  forget  the  enormity  of 
his  crime,  and  to  sympathize  with  him ;  and 
this  sympathy  is  sometimes  directed  against  the 
prosecutor  who  procures  his  conviction,  and 
the  judge  w^ho  pronounces  his  doom.  But  we 
should  recollect  that  this  is  not  always  a  feeling 
of  pure  humanity,  but  is  mixed  up  with  a  sense 
of  present  security,  in  consequence  of  our 
knowing  that  he  is  put  beyond  the  power  of 
doing  mischief  We  should  recollect  also  that 
the  ruler  ought  to  b©  a  terror  to  evil  works, 
that  "  he  beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain,  for  he 
is  the  minister  of  God,  a  revenger  (avenger)  to 
execute  wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil."  It 
was  an  ancient  law  of  heaven,  and  never  abro- 
gated,— "  He  that  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by 
man  shall  his  blood  be  shed."     "  Whosoever 


GODS    WATCHFULNESS.  271 

hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer"  in  the  sight 
of  God;  and  those  who  are  convicted  of  having 
conspired  to  take  away  the  lives  of  their  fellow 
creatures,  are  murderers  in  the  eye  of  human 
laws,  and  ought  to  be  punished  accordingly. 
They  may  be  overlooked,  or  acquitted,  or  par- 
doned by  man  ;  but  they  shall  not  escape  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God  in  the  future  world, 
and  they  are  often  overtaken  by  it  in  the  pre- 
sent. 

After  all,  it  is  not  the  conduct  of  Esther,  or 
the  Jews,  which  should  occupy  our  chief  atten- 
tion ;  it  is  the  hand  of  God,  in  the  moral  gov- 
ernment of  the  world,  watching  over  his  chosen 
people,  defeating  the  plots  hatched  for  their 
ruin,  and  executing  signal  vengeance  on  their 
implacable  adversaries.  "  Behold,  they  shall 
gather  themselves  together,  but  not  by  me: 
whosoever  shall  gather  against  thee  shall  fall  for 
thy  sake.  No  weapon  that  is  formed  against 
thee  shall  prosper ;  and  every  tongue  that  shall 
rise  against  thee  in  judgment  thou  shalt  con- 
demn. This  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants  of 
the  Lord;  and  their  righteousness  is  of  me,  saith 


272  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

the  Lord.-'  "  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour:  I  gave 
Egypt  for  thy  ransom,  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for 
thee.  Since  thou  wast  precious  in  my  sight 
thou  hast  been  honourable,  and  I  have  loved 
thee ;  therefore  will  I  give  men  for  thee,  and 
people  for  thy  life." 

There  is  one  part  of  the  conduct  of  the  Jews 
which  deserves  notice, — they  did  not  touch  the 
property  of  those  whom  they  slew.  To  incite 
their  neighbours  to  massacre  them,  it  was  pro- 
vided in  Haman's  edict  that  their  executioners 
should  take  their  property.  The  same  liberty 
was  granted  to  the  Jews  in  Mordecai's  edict. 
But  by  universal  agreement  they  declined  avail- 
ing themselves  of  this  tempting  permission. 
"  But  on  the  spoil  laid  they  not  their  handP 
This  is  thrice  repeated  in  the  account  of  each 
day's  execution  in  Shushan,  and  also  throughout 
the  provinces.  It  was  most  probably  owing  to 
express  instructions  from  Esther  and  Mordecai, 
and  it  reflected  honour  on  their  religion,  their 
wisdom,  and  their  humanity.  It  was  to  the 
honour  of  their  religion,  as  it  showed  a  disin- 


THEIR    HUMANITY.  273 

terested  and  generous  superiority  to  wealth,  and 
must  have  convinced  their  neighbours  that  they 
did  not  employ  the  interest  which  they  had  at 
court  to  enrich  themselves,  but  to  save  their 
lives.  It  was  to  the  honour  of  their  wisdom, 
that  by  declining  to  amass  riches  in  a  strange 
country,  they  did  not  tempt  the  cupidity  of  those 
among  whom  they  dwelt  to  invent  calumnies 
against  them,  with  the  view  of  getting  posses- 
sion of  their  wealth ;  an  evil  to  which  their 
modern  descendants  have  been  often  exposed. 
And  it  was  to  the  honour  of  their  humanity, 
that  they  left  the  property  of  their  enemies  to 
their  widows  and  surviving  children.  For 
though  the  edict  authorized  them  in  their  own 
defence  to  slay  women  and  little  ones,  yet  they 
slew^  only  "  those  who  sought  their  hurt." 
According  to  Jewish  tradition,  after  Haman's 
ten  sons  Avere  slain,  Zeresh  his  w-ife  escaped, 
and  was  found  on  the  second  day  bagging  her 
bread.  This  was  a  just  humiliation  for  the  part 
she  had  taken  in  the  wricked  device  of  her  hus- 
band ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Jews  w^ere  marked  by  gratuitous 


274  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

cruelty,  or  by  anything  resembling  a  spirit  of 
revenge.  Against  this  it  becomes  us  carefully 
to  oruard,  even  when  witnessinq- the  retributions 
of  Providence.  "Dearly  beloved,  avenge  not 
yourselves;  but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath : 
for  it  is  written,  Vengeance  is  mine ;  I  will 
repay,  saith  the  Lord." 


275 


LECTURE    SEVENTEENTH 


Esther   IX.    17—32. 

On  the  tJiirteenth  day  of  the  month  Adar;  and  on  the 
fourteenth  day  of  the  same  rested  they,  and  made  it  a 
day  of  feasting  and  gladness.  But  the  Jews  that  were 
at  Shushan  assembled  together  on  the  thirteenth  day 
thereof,  and  on  the  fourteenth  day  thereof;  and  on  the 
fifteenth  day  of  the  same  they  rested,  and  made  it  a 
day  of  feasting  and  gladness.  Therefore  the  Jews  of 
the  villages,  that  dwelt  in  the  unwalled  towns,  made 
the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month  Adar  a  day  of  gladness 
and  feasting,  and  a  good  day,  and  of  sending  portions 
one  to  another.  And  Mordecai  wrote  these  things,  and 
sent  letters  unto  all  the  Jews  that  were  in  all  the  pro- 
vinces of  the  King  Ahasuerus,  both  nigh  and  far,  to 
stablish  this  among  them,  that  they  should  keep  the  four- 
teenth day  of  the  month  Adar,  and  the  fifteenth  day  of 
the  same  yearly,  as  the  days  wherein  the  Jews  rested 
from  tlieir  enemies,  and  the  month  which  icas  turned 
unto  them  from  sorroio  to  joy,  and  from  mourning 
into  a  good  day :  that  they  should  make  tliem  days  of 
feasting  and  joy,  and  of  sending  portions  one  to 
another,  and  gifts  to  tlie  poor.     And  the  Jews  undertook 


276  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

to  do  as  they  had  begun,  and  as  Mordccai  had  written 
unto  them;  because  Human  the  son  of  Hammedatha^ 
the  Agagite,  the  enemy  of  all  tJie  Jews,  had  devised 
against  the  Jews  to  destroy  them,  and  had  cast  Pur,  that 
is,  the  lot,  to  consume  them,  and  to  destroy  them ;  but 
when  Esther  came  before  the  king,  he  commanded  by 
letters  that  his  wicked  device,  ichich  he  devised  against 
the  Jews,  should  return  upon  his  own  head,  and  that  he 
and  his  sons  should  be  hanged  on  the  gallows.  Where- 
fore they  calkd  these  days  Purim,  after  the  name  of 
Pur :  therefore  for  all  the  icords  of  this  letter,  and  of 
that  u'hich  they  had  seen  concerning  this  matter,  and 
which  had  come  unto  them,  the  Jews  ordained,  and  took 
upon  them,  and  upon  their  seed,  and  upon  all  such  as 
joined  themselves  unto  them,  so  as  it  should  not  fail,  tliat 
they  would  keep  these  two  days  according  to  their  writing, 
and  according  to  their  appointed  time,  every  year ;  and 
that  these  days  shoidd  be  remembered  and  kept  throughout 
every  generation,  every  family,  every  province,  and  every 
city;  and  that  these  days  of  Purim  shoidd  not  fail  from 
among  the  Jews,  nor  the  memorial  of  them  perish  from 
their  seed.  Then  Esther  the  queen,  tJie  daughter  of 
Abihail,  and  Mordccai  the  Jew,  icrote  with  all  authority, 
to  confirm  this  second  letter  of  Purim.  And  he  sent  the 
letters  unto  all  the  Jews,  to  tlie  hundred  ticenty  and 
seven  provinces  of  the  kingdom  of  Ahasuerus,  icith 
words  of  peace  and  truth,  to  confirm  these  days  of  Purim 
in   their  times  appointed,  according  as  Mordccai  the 


THE    VICTORY    CELEBRATED.    277 

Jew  and  Esther  the  queen  had  enjoined  them,  and  as 
they  had  decreed  for  themselves  and  for  their  seed,  the 
matters  of  the  fastings  and  their  cry.  And  fie  decree  of 
Esther  confirmed  these  matters  of  Purim ;  and  it  teas 
written  in  the  book. 

In  our  last  Lecture  we  reviewed  the  victory 
which  the  Jews  obtained  over  their  enemies. 
The  thirteenth  day  of  Adar,  the  fixed  day  for 
their  destruction  arrived.  Their  enemies,  trust- 
ing to  the  superiority  of  their  numbers,  and  the 
immunity  secured  to  them  by  the  unrevoked 
decree  of  Haman,  were  prepared  for  a  general 
massacre.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Jews,  en- 
couraged by  the  late  decree,  and  trusting  to  the 
goodness  of  their  cause,  and  the  protection  of  the 
God  of  Israel,  gathered  themselves  together  to 
stand  for  their  lives,  and  being  helped  by  the 
provincial  governors,  who  were  afraid  of  the 
power  of  Mordecai,  they  obtained  a  complete 
victory,  causing  to  perish  all  the  power  of  the 
people  in  each  province  w^ho  assaulted  them. 
We  are  now  to  consider  the  celebration  of  this 
victory,  and  the  provision  made  for  commem- 
orating the  deliverance  wrought  by  it. 
24 


278         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

It  has  been  usual  to  celebrate  victories  by- 
public  rejoicings,  even  when  they  have  been 
gained  by  the  loss  of  thousands  of  lives  on  the 
side  of  the  victors,  as  well  as  of  the  vanquished. 
When  wars  are  undertaken  for  conquest,  when 
they  are  unjust  or  unnecessary,  all  such  rejoi- 
cing is  evil  ]  and  if  accompanied  with  religious 
ceremonies,  it  is  a  mockery  of  Him  whose  ten- 
der mercies  are  over  all  his  works,  and  who 
hates  robbery  for  burnt-offering.  But  when  a 
Avar  is  purely  defensive,  when  a  people  are 
forced  to  appear  in  arms  for  all  that  is  dear  to 
them,  their  lives,  their  liberties,  and  their  re- 
ligion, against  an  enemy  who,  without  any 
provocation,  aims  at  nothing  less  than  their  total 
destruction,  and  when  the  God  of  armies  gives 
them  the  victory,  they  may  lawfully  rejoice, 
and  assemble  to  offer  solemn  thanksgivings. 
Thus  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel  celebra- 
ted a  religious  triumph  after  the  destruction  of 
Pharaoh  and  his  host.  The  eighteenth  Psalm 
is  a  triumphal  ode,  composed  by  David  "  in  the 
day  that  the  Lord  delivered  him  from  the  hand 
of  all  his  enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  Saul." 


THE  VICTORY  CELEBRATED.  279 

In  like  manner,  when  n^ystical  Babylon  was 
overthrown,  a  voice  was  heard  saying",  "  Rejoice 
over  her,  thou  heaven,  and  ye  holy  apostles  and 
prophets  ;"  and  instantly  the  shout  of  victory 
was  raised,  "  Alleluia ;  salvation  and  glory, 
and  honour,  and  power,  unto  the  Lord  our  God : 
for  true  and  righteous  are  his  judgments ;  for 
he  hath  judged  the  great  whore,  which  did  cor- 
rupt the  earth  with  her  fornication,  and  hath 
avenged  the  blood  of  his  servants  at  her  hand ; 
and  again  they  said,  Alleluia." 

There  were  two  individuals  who  were  more 
deeply  affected  than  the  rest  with  this  wonder- 
ful and  almost  miraculous  deliverance, — Esther 
and  Mordecai.  They  had  been  equally  devoted 
to  destruction  with  their  countrymen,  and  the 
life  of  one  of  them  had  been  chiefly  aimed  at. 
But  a  sense  of  personal  safety  was  only  a  sin- 
gle ingredient  in  their  cup  of  gratitude  and  joy. 
They  had  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  their  people;  the  prospect  of  their  danger 
had  thrown  them  into  an  agony  of  spirit.  They 
had  fasted  and  prayed,  and  made  supplication  to 
God  and  to  man  for  their  escape ;  and  now  that 


280  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

they  had  prevailed  like  princes,  and  been  made 
the  honoured  instruments  of  their  country's  sal- 
"  vation,  no  wonder  that  they  felt  an  overflow  of 
joy  and  gratitude.  "  It  is  meet  that  they 
should  make  merry  and  be  glad."  But  they 
were  not  satisfied  with  expressing  their  joy  per- 
sonally, and  for  the  present;  they  exerted  their 
influence  to  stir  up  others  to  join  with  them, 
and  to  transmit  the  memory  of  this  national  de- 
liverance to  the  latest  posterity. 

To  accomplish  this  two  modes  were  taken, 
the  one  literal,  the  other  symbolical.  "  Mor- 
decai  wrote  these  things,"  that  is,  he  committed 
to  writing  a  narrative  of  the  whole  affair,  from 
the  commencement  of  Haman's  conspiracy 
against  the  Jews,  to  the  time  of  their  deliverance, 
and  sent  copies  of  it  through  the  provinces. 
Though  they  already  knew  the  leading  facts, 
yet  they  were  ignorant  of  the  secret  springs 
both  of  the  plot  and  of  its  defeat;  and  accord- 
ingly, their  subsequent  resolution  is  said  to  have 
proceeded  upon  "that  which  they  had  seen 
concerning  this  matter,  and  which  had  come 
unto  them,"   (v.  26.)     This  narrative,  together 


with  what  was  afterwards  prefixed  and  appended 
to  it,  is  supposed  by  some  interpreters,  and  not 
without  probability,  to  constitute  the  Book  of 
Esther,  as  it  now  stands  in  our  canon.  It  is  a 
singular  fact,  and  worthy  of  particular  notice, 
that  the  first  thing  which  ever  was  committed 
to  writing  by  the  express  command  of  God,  was 
the  victory  which  Israel  gained  over  Amalek, 
from  whom  Haman  was  descended.  Exod. 
xvii.  14 — 16.  The  spirit  of  God  has  paid  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  history  of  the  church 
in  all  ages,  and  has  preserved  a  minute  and 
faithful  record  of  the  wonderful  interpositions 
of  Providence  in  her  behalf  What  is  said 
of  prophecy  may  be  applied  to  the  history  of  the 
Bible  :  it  "came  not  in  old  time  by  the  will  of 
man ;  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  And  as  they  spake 
they  wrote.  *'  Write  the  vision,  and  make  it 
plain  upon  tables,  that  he  may  run  that  readeth." 
Of  some  portions  of  the  Jewish  history  we  have 
double  narratives,  as  in  the  books  of  Kings  and 
Chronicles:  and  of  the  life  of  our  Saviour  we 
have  four.  In  constructing  these,  the  Holy 
24* 


282  LECTURES    ON    EST  HE  R . 

Spirit  excited,  and  took  under  his  unerring  and 
supernatural  management,  the  sacred  zeal  which 
holy  men  felt  to  propagate  and  perpetuate  the 
doings  of  the  Lord.  "Forasmuch  as  many- 
have  taken  in  hand  to  set  forth  in  order  a  de- 
claration of  those  things  which  are  most  surely 
believed  among  us,  even  as  they  delivered  them 
unto  us,  which  from  the  beginning  were  eye- 
witnesses and  ministers  of  the  word;  it  seemed 
good  to  me  also,  having  had  perfect  understand- 
ing of  all  things  from  the  very  first,  to  write  unto 
thee,  in  order,  most  excellent  Theophilus,  that 
thou  mightstknow  the  certainty  of  those  things 
wherein  thou  hast  been  instructed." 

Along  w^ith  this  narrative,  Mordecai  sent 
letters,  exhorting  his  countrymen  to  observe  an 
annual  feast,  in  commemoration  of  their  delive- 
rance.— The  Jews  throughout  the  provinces 
having  obtained  a  complete  victory  over  their 
enemies  on  the  thirteenth  of  Adar,  feasted  on 
the  fourteenth;  but  those  of  the  capital,  being 
still  engaged  in  hostilities  on  that  day,  did  not 
keep  their  feast  until  the  fifteenth.  Mordecai 
therefore   proposed  that  the  festival  in  future 


THE    FEAST    OF    PUIIIM.  283 

should  continue  during  both  these  days;  a  pro- 
posal which  was  warmly  approved  of  by  the 
Jews,  who  agreed  for  themselves  and  their  pos- 
terity, and  such  as  should  become  proselytes  to 
their  body,  to  observe  these  two  days  every  year 
as  a  festival  in  all  time  coming-.  This  agree- 
ment, which  was  most  probably  embodied  in  a 
formal  deed,  and  subscribed  by  their  elders  or 
heads  of  tribes,  having  been  transmitted  to  Susa, 
Mordecai  and  Esther  wrote  a  second  letter,  con- 
firming the  determination  by  their  authority,  and 
thus  giving  it  all  possible  weight.  This  edict 
"was  written  in  the  book,"  that  is,  the  book 
which  bears  the  name  of  Esther,  being  added  to 
what  Mordecai  had  formerly  written.  We  are 
told  that  they  "  wrote  with  all  authority,"  but 
at  the  same  time  "with  words  of  peace  and 
truth;"  in  a  humane,  mild,  affectionate  and 
earnest  manner, — not  like  persons  who  assumed 
dictatorial  airs  and  threatening  language ; — an 
example  to  all  rulers,  and  especially  ecclesi- 
astical, to  forbear  threatening,  and  to  temper 
authority  with  condescension  and  gentleness. 
"  The  servant  of  the  Lord  must  not  strive,  but 


284  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

be  gentle  to  all  men."  The  decree  of  the  apos- 
tles and  elders  at  Jerusalem,  though  it  begins 
with  these  words,  "  It  seemed  good  to  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  to  us  to  lay  upon  you  no  greater 
burden  than  these  necessary  things,"  concludes 
in  this  affectionate  and  familiar  style  : — "  From 
which  if  ye  keep  yourselves  ye  shall  do  well. 
Fare  ye  well."  Had  all  the  decrees  and 
canons  of  councils  and  synods  breathed  this 
spirit,  they  would  have  been  in  better  odour  with 
the  Christian  community,  and  those  to  whom 
they  were  addressed  would,  as  in  the  case 
referred  to,  have  "  rejoiced  for  the  consolation." 
How  different  was  the  conduct  of  Mordecai  and 
Esther  from  that  of  those  secular  princes  and 
ecclesiastics  who  have  obtruded  religious  festi- 
vals on  the  Christian  Church  !  The  former 
issued  letters,  giving  advice  to  their  country- 
men ;  without  their  mind  they  would  do  no- 
thing ;  and  even  after  they  had  obtained  their 
consent,  they  exercised  their  authority  with  the 
utmost  mildness.  The  latter  have  at  once  in- 
vaded the  province  of  the  Lawgiver  of  the 
church  and  the  liberties  of  the  Christian  people, 


THE    FEAST    OF    P  U  R  I  M .  285 

by  the  institution  of  holidays  according  to  their 
own  arbitrary  will,  and  have  punished  all  who 
refused,  or  scrupled  to  observe  them,  by  impri- 
sonment, confiscation  of  goods,  and  even  death. 
The  feast  referred  to  in  our  text  is  called  the 
feast  of  Purim,  or  Lots,  from  the  Persic  word 
pur,  which  signifies  the  lot;  and  the  name  was 
given  it  because  Ha  man  had  cast  lots  to  deter- 
mine the  day  on  which  he  should  destroy  all  the 
Jews;  but  He  who  has  the  disposal  of  the  lot, 
"caused  his  wicked  device  to  return  on  his 
own  head,"  and  saved  his  people. 

There  are  two  questions  respecting  this  feast. 
What  was  its  nature  %  And  by  what  authority 
was  it  enjoined? 

What  was  its  nature?  Was  it  religious,  or 
merely  civil  ?  Some  interpreters  are  of  opinion 
that  it  was  entirely  civil  or  political,  and  intend- 
ed to  commemorate  a  temporal  deliverance,  by 
such  ex'pressions  of  outward  joy  as  are  common 
among  all  people  on  such  occasions.  In  cor- 
roboration of  this  opinion,  they  observe  that 
nothing  peculiarly  sacred  is  mentioned  as  be- 
longing to  its  celebration,  but  only  eating  and 


286  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

drinking-,  rejoicing,  and  sending  portions  to  one 
another,  and  gifts  to  the  poor ;  that  they  were 
not  restricted  from  ordinary  work,  but  merely 
rested  from  the  trouble  and  sorrow  which  they 
had  lately  felt.  But  though  it  should  be  grant- 
ed that  the  description  contains  nothing  but  ex- 
pressions of  secular  joy,  we  would  scarcely  be 
warranted  to  maintain  that  this  feast  had  no 
religious  character.  It  is  of  the  nature  of  this 
Book  not  to  bring  forward  religion  expressly, 
for  reasons  that  we  formerly  assigned.  Would 
we  say  that  the  fast  formerly  observed  by  Est- 
her and  the  Jews  in  Shushan  consisted  solely  in 
abstinence  from  food,  because  there  is  no  men- 
tion of  prayer  being  combined  with  it  ?  Nay, 
we  find  this  exercise  specified  in  the  account  of 
the  feast :  "  They  had  decreed  for  themselves 
and  for  their  seed  the  matters  of  their  fastings 
and  their  cry^  that  is,  their  prayer  (v.  31.) 
Now,  though  this  should  be  understood  as  look- 
ing back  on  their  exercise  when  the  murderous 
edict  was  first  promulgated,  yet  its  being  named 
here  gives  a  religious  character  to  the  feast. 
Can  we  suppose  that  they  would  fast  and  pray 


AUTHORITY    OF    THE    FEAST.    287 

during  their  distress,  and  not  rejoice  before  the 
Lord,  and  give  thanks  to  him  after  he  had 
hearkened  to  them  ?  But  it  is  more  natural  to 
understand  the  Avords  prospectively,  and  they 
may  be  translated  thus- — "adding  fasting  and 
prayer."  Accordingly,  in  after  times,  the  Jews 
kept  the  thirteenth  of  Adar  as  a  fast,  and  the 
two  following  da3's  as  a  feast. 

By  what  authority  was  it  enjoined  ?  or,  in 
other  words,  did  the  observance  of  it  rest  on 
mere  human  authority?  Did  Mordecai  in  pro- 
posing it,  act  from  the  private  motion  of  his  own 
mind;  and,  in  confirming  it,  did  he  proceed  en- 
tirely upon  the  consent  of  the  people  ?  Or  was 
he  guided  in  both  by  divine  and  extraordinary 
counsel,  imparted  to  him  immediately,  or  by 
some  prophetic  person  living  at  that  time? 
That  the  vision  and  the  prophecy  were  still  en- 
joyed by  the  Jews  dweUing  in  Persia,  cannot 
be  denied  by  those  who  believe  the  canonical 
authority  of  this  book,  and  what  is  contained  in 
that  of  Ezra.  We  have  already  seen  reasons 
for  thinking  that  Mordecai  acted  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  faith  of  Moses'  parents,  from  the 


288  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

time  that  he  proposed  his  cousin  Esther  as  a 
candidate  to  succeed  Vashti  the  queen.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  he  was  raised  up  in  an  ex- 
traordinary manner  as  a  saviour  to  Israel ;  and 
in  the  course  of  this  Lecture  we  have  seen, 
grounds  for  believing  that,  in  addition  to  his 
other  honours,  he  was  employed  as  the  penman 
of  this  portion  of  inspired  scripture.  From  all 
these  considerations,  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude 
that  the  feast  of  Purim  was  not  instituted  with- 
out divine  counsel  and  approbation.  Add  to 
this,  that  the  decree  of  Esther  confirming  it,  is 
expressly  said,  in  the  close  of  this  chapter,  to 
have  been  engrossed  in  this  book,  by  whomso- 
ever it  was  written. 

From  what  has  been  said,  we  may  infer  that 
this  passage  of  Scripture  gives  no  countenance 
to  religious  festivals,  or  holidays  of  human  ap- 
pointment, especially  under  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Feasts  appear  to  have  been  connected 
with  sacrifices  from  the  most  ancient  times; 
but  the  observance  of  them  w^as  not  brought 
under  any  fixed  rules  until  the  establishment  of 
the  Mosaic  law.     Religious  festivals  formed  a 


m 


RELIGIOUS     FESTIVALS.  297 

noted  and  splendid  part  of  the  ritual  of  that 
law ;  but  they  were  only  designed  to  be  tempo- 
rary ;  and  having  served  their  end  in  com- 
memorating certain  great  events  connected  with 
the  Jewish  commonwealth,  and  in  typifying 
certain  mysteries  now  clearly  revealed  by  the 
gospel,  they  ceased,  and,  along  with  other  fig- 
ures, vanished  away.  To  retain  these,  or  to 
return  to  them  after  the  promulgation  of  the 
Christian  law,  or  to  imitate  them  by  instituting 
festivals  of  a  similar  kind,  is  to  doat  on  shadows 
— to  choose  weak  and  beggarly  elements — to 
bring  ourselves  under  a  yoke  of  bondage  which 
the  Jews  were  unable  to  bear,  and  interpreta- 
tively  to  fall  from  grace  and  the  truth  of  the 
gospel.  "  Ye  observe  days  and  months,  and 
times  and  years.  I  am  afraid  of  you,  lest  I 
have  bestowed  upon  you  labour  in  vain."  "  Let 
no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in 
drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holiday,  or  of  the 
new  moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath  days,  which  are  a 
shadow  of  things  to  come."  Shall  we  suppose 
that  Christ  and  his  apostles,  in  abrogating  those 
days  which  God  himself  had  appointed  to  be 
25 


298  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER, 

observed,  without  instituting-  others  in  their 
room,  intended  that  either  churches  or  indi- 
viduals should  be  allowed  to  substitute  what- 
ever they  pleased  in  their  room  ?  Yet  the 
Christian  church  soon  degenerated  so  far  as  to 
bring  herself  under  a  severer  bondage  than  that 
froni  which  Christ  had  redeemed  her,  and 
instituted  a  greater  number  of  festivals  than 
were  observed  under  the  Mosaic  law,  or  even, 
among  pagans.  ' 

To  seek  a  warrant  for  days  of  religious  com- 
memoration under  the  gospel  from  the  Jewish 
festivals,  is  not  only  to  overlook  the  distinction 
between  the  old  and  new  dispensations,  but  to 
forget  that  the  Jews  were  never  allowed  to  in- 
stitute such  memorials  for  themselves,  but  sim- 
ply to  keep  those  which  infinite  Wisdom  had 
expressly  and  by  name  set  apart  and  sanctified. 
The  prohibitory  sanction  is  equally  strict  under 
both  Testaments :  "  What  thing  soever  I  com- 
mand you,  observe  to  do  it :  thou  shalt  not  add 
thereto,  nor  diminish  from  it." 

There  are  times  when  God  calls,  on  the  one 
hand,  to  religious  fasting,  or,  on  the  other,  to 


RELIGIOUS    FESTIVALS.  299 

thanksgiving  and  religious  joy:  and  it  is  our 
duty  to  comply  with  these  calls,  and  to  set 
apart  time  for  the  respective  exercises.  But 
this  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  recurrent  or 
anniversary  holidays.  In  the  former  case  the 
day  is  chosen  for  the  duty,  in  the  latter  the  duty 
is  performed  for  the  day :  in  the  former  case 
there  is  no  holiness  on  the  day  but  what  arises 
from  the  service  which  is  performed  on  it,  and 
when  the  same  day  afterwards  recurs,  it  is  as 
common  as  any  other  day:  in  the  latter  case 
the  day  is  set  apart  on  all  following  times,  and 
may  not  be  employed  for  common  or  secular 
purposes.  Stated  and  recurring  festivals  coun- 
tenance the  false  principle,  that  some  'lys  have 
a  peculiar  sanctity,  either  inherent  or  impressed 
by  the  works  which  occurred  on  them;  they 
proceed  on  an  undue  assumption  of  human 
authority ;  interfere  with  the  free  use  of  that 
time  which  the  Creator  hath  granted  to  man ; 
detract  from  the  honour  due  to  the  day  of  sacred 
rest  which  he  hath  appointed;  lead  to  imposi- 
tions over  conscience ;  have  been  the  fruitful 
source  of  superstition  and  idolatry;  and  have 


300  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

been  productive  of  the  worst  effects  upon  morals, 
in  every  age,  and  among  every  people,  barbarous 
and  civilized,  pagan  and  Christian,  popish  and 
protestant,  among  whom  they  have  been  observ- 
ed. On  these  grounds  they  were  rejected  from 
the  beginning,  among  other  corruptions  of  anti- 
christ, by  the  reformed  church  of  Scotland, 
w^hich  allowed  no  stated  religious  days  but  the 
Christian  Sabbath. 


30] 


LECTURE    EIGHTEENTH. 


Esther  X. 

And  the  King  AJuisuerus  laid  a  trihute  upon  the  land,  and 
tipon  the  isles  of  the  sea.  And  all  tJic  acts  of  his  power 
and  of  his  might,  and  the  declaration  of  the  greatness  of 
Mordecai,  icherennto  the  king  adcanced  him,  are  they  not 
written  in  the  hook  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Media 
and  Persia  ?  For  Mordecai  the  Jew  was  next  unto  King 
Ahasuerus,  and  great  among  the  Jews,  arid  accepted  of 
the  multitude  of  his  brethren,  seeking  the  wealth  of  his 
people,  and  speaking  peace  to  all  his  seed. 

Our  last  Lecture  embraced  the  account  of  the 
institution  of  the  feast  of  Piirin:i,  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  wonderful  deliverance  wrought  for 
the  Jews,  by  defeating  the  plot  of  Haman,  and 
giving  them  victory  over  all  their  enemies. 
Having  thus  unravelled  the  plot,  and  estabh"sh- 
ed  the  Jews  in  peace  and  honour,  which  was  the 
object  he  had  in  view,  the  sacred  historian 
25* 


302  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

draws  to  a  speed)^  close,  by  a  general  notice  of 
the  greatness  of  Ahasuerus's  reign,  and  the 
auspicious  administration  of  Mordecai. 

^^  And  the  King  Ahasuerus  laid  a  tribute 
upon  the  land  and  upon  the  isles  of  the  seaJ^ — 
The  imposition  of  taxes  is  a  mark  of  dominion, 
and  the  payment  of  them  a  token  of  subjection; 
and  the  fact  is  mentioned  here  to  show  that  the 
empire  continued  to  flourish,  and  that  its  boun- 
daries were  not  contracted  during  the  ministry 
of  Mordecai.  It  still  extended  over  the  conti- 
nent and  the  islands.  The  burdens  imposed  by 
the  Persians,  especially  in  the  conquered  pro- 
vinces, were  heavy.  Hence  we  find  this  arti- 
cle in  the  solemn  humiliation  in  the  days  of 
Nehemiah,  "  Behold,  we  are  servants  this  day  ; 
and  for  the  land  that  thou  gavest  unto  our 
fathers,  to  eat  the  fruit  thereof  and  the  good 
thereof,  behold  we  are  servants  in  it :  and  it 
yieldeth  much  increase  URto  the  kings  whom 
thou  hast  set  over  us,  because  of  our  sins ;  they 
also  have  dominion  over  our  bodies,  and  over 
our  cattle  at  their  pleasure ;  and  we  are  in 
great  distress."     Yet  the  kingdom  was  in  such 


SCRIPTURE     HISTORY.  dUo 

a  flourishing-  state  that  it  could  bear  a  new  as- 
sessment. The  revenues  of  princes  will  not 
suffer  by  their  affairs  being  under  the  direction 
of  just  and  godly  ministers.  Haman,  as  a 
bribe  to  procure  the  destruction  of  the  Jews, 
offered  Ahasuerus  ten  thousand  talents  of  silver 
to  replenish  his  exhausted  treasury ;  but  Mor- 
decai,  by  his  wise  and  benignant  administra- 
tion, brings  the  empire  into  such  a  state,  that 
it  is  able  to  bear  a  new  impost,  the  produce 
of  which  would  far  exceed  the  sum  mentioned. 
We  have  no  account  of  the  purposes  to  which 
this  tribute  was  applied,  nor  of  the  wars  which 
Ahasuerus  waged  against  the  Athenians  and 
Egyptians.  Scripture  history  extends  to  the 
affairs  of  heathen  nations  only  in  so  far  as  they 
are  connected  with  those  of  the  people  of  God, 
Its  object  was  not  to  unfold  the  secrets  of  cabi- 
nets, or  to  describe  their  plans  and  transactions, 
but  to  illustrate  the  moral  government  of  God 
over  the  nations,  particularly  in  subordination 
to  his  dealings  with  that  people  to  whom  he  had 
committed  his  statutes  and  his  judgments.  For 
a  particular  account  of  the  power  and  the  great 


304  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

exploits  of  Ahasuerus,  we  are  referred  to  "  the 
hook  of  the  Chronicles  of  the  Icings  of  Media 
and  Persia.''^  These  records  also  contained  a 
declaration  of  "the  greatness  of  Mordecai 
whereunto  the  king  advanced  him."  This  was 
to  the  honour  of  Mordecai ;  but  then  it  was  a 
temporary  and  corruptible  honour,  for  the  an- 
cient memorials  of  that  great  monarchy  are  all 
perished ;  and  the  name  of  Ahasuerus  himself 
•would  have  perished  along  with  them,  had  it 
not  been  preserved  in  the  writings  of  the  Jews 
and  of  the  Greeks,  whose  valour  and  passion 
for  liberty  opposed  his  projects  of  universal  do- 
minion. But  Mordecai  had  the  honour  of  hav- 
ing his  name  enrolled  in  those  records  which 
have  escaped  the  ravages  of  time,  and  continue 
to  this  day  to  be  the  most  ancient,  as  well  as  the 
most  authentic  of  all  writings.  Few^  compara- 
tively, have  their  names  and  deeds  recorded  in 
the  annals  of  this  world ;  but  let  them  not 
repine  at  this.  All  the  fearers  of  God  have 
their  names  entered  into  the  book  of  life,  and 
their  good  actions,  and  words,  and  thoughts 
written  in  the  book  of  God's  remembrance  ;  and 


nous  MEN.  305 

all  that  is  recorded  there  to  their  commendation 
will  be  publicly  read  before  assembled  worlds, 
when  the  records  of  human  fame  will  be  con- 
sumed in  the  general  conflagration. 

This  book,  accordingly,  closes  with  a  pane- 
gyric upon  the  man  who  had  preferred  the  in- 
terests of  the  people  of  God  above  his  chief  joy. 
"  Mordecai  the  Jew  was  next  unto  King  Aha- 
suerus.^^  Like  Joseph,  he  was  the  second  per- 
son in  the  kingdom ;  "  only  in  the  throne  was" 
Ahasuerus  "greater  than  he."  Pious  men 
may  not  only  act  as  servants  to  irreligious  mas- 
ters, but  as  ministers  to  ungodly  and  arbitrary 
rulers.  Besides  the  present  instance,  we  find  a 
Joseph  in  the  court  of  Pharaoh,  an  Obadiah  in 
that  of  Ahab,  a  Daniel  in  that  of  Belshazzar, 
and  a  Nehemiah  in  that  of  Artaxerxes.  They 
cannot  alter  the  frame  of  the  government,  or 
prevent  much  evil ;  but  they  keep  themselves 
from  sin,  and  may  be  the  instruments  of  much 
good.  Nor  was  Mordecai  higher  in  favour 
with  the  king  than  he  was  with  his  own  coun- 
trymen : — he  was  "  great  among  the  Jews,  and 
accepted  of  the  multitude  of  his  brethren,  seeking 


306         LECTURES     ON     ESTHER. 

the  wealth  of  his  people,  and  speaking  peace  to 
all  his  seed.''''  He  did  not  neglect  the  interests 
of  his  royal  master,  nor  those  of  the  empire ; 
but  without  failing  in  due  regard  to  these,  he 
had  it  in  his  power  to  show  favour  to  his  coun- 
trymen. He  did  not  forget  his  own  suggestion 
to  Esther,  "  Who  knoweth  whether  thou  art 
come  to  the  kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this?" 
We  are  to  "  do  good  unto  all  men  ;  but  especial- 
ly to  them  who  are  of  tl^e  household  of  faith." 
Nay,  even  among  those  who  are  of  the  same 
faith,  we  are  called  particularly  to  show  regard 
to  these  who  are  connected  with  us  by  special 
ties.  "I  came,"  sa3^s  Paul,  "to  bring  alms  to 
my  nation."  Patriotism  is  not  inconsistent  with 
religion  in  its  purest  form. 

In  fine,  Mordecai  spent  his  time  in  "seeking 
the  wealth  (that  is,  the  welfare)  of  his  people," 
but  it  was  the  welfare  of  his  people,  not  of  a 
particular  class,  or  a  few  favourites  ;  and  there- 
fore, he  was  "  accepted  of  the  multitude  of  his 
brethren."  His  love  was  without  partiality; 
and  he  who  could  not  bow  to  a  wicked  minister, 
was  not  the  man  to  pervert  judgment  by  respect 


APOCRYPHAL  ACCOUNTS.    307 

of  persons.  He  who  had  himself  occupied  a 
low  place  with  humility,  and  been  despised  and 
hated  by  the  proud  without  resenting  it,  would 
not  say  to  the  man  of  gay  clothing,  "  Sit  thou 
here  in  a  good  place  ;  and  to  the  poor,  "  Stand 
thou  there,  or  sit  here  under  my  footstool.''  He 
'' spoke  peace  to  all  his  seecT^ — spake  kindly  to 
all,  and  diffused  the  blessings  of  peace  around 
him. 

Here  the  inspired  record  ends;  not  so  the 
apocryphal  accounts,  in  which  we  find  ten  verses 
added  to  this  chapter,  followed  by  other  six 
chapters,  containing  a  ridiculous  dream  of  Mor- 
decai,  in  which  he  is  supposed  to  have  had  an. 
allegorical  premonition  of  the  plot  of  Haman, 
and  ti  3  mode  in  w^hich  it  was  to  be  defeated, — 
the  decree  of  Haman  at  length, — the  prayer  of 
Mordecai  and  Esther, — another  account  of  the 
queen  s  appearance  at  court, — with  a  copy  of 
the  letters  by  which  Ahasuerus  revoked  those 
procured  by  Haman,  and  authorized  the  feast  of 
Purim.  The  contrast  between  these  additions 
and  the  bicred  text  is  very  striking.  We  have 
already  shown  that  the   former  w^ant  all   the 


308  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

marks  of  authenticity ;  and  the  unintelligible 
contradictory,  and  even  ludicious  character  of 
the  comment,  give  us  no  reason  to  regret  the 
simple  brevity  of  the  inspired  narrative. 

We  have  thus  finished  the  exposition  of  this 
portion  of  holy  writ ;  but,  before  leaving  it,  we 
may  mark  a  few  general  instructions  which  it 
conveys,  and  which  appear  more  strikingly  from 
a  review  of  the  whole,  than  from  the  considera- 
tion of  any  particular  passage  of  the  narrative. 

In  general,  we  have  here  a  golden  leaf  in  the 
book  of  providence,  teaching  us  that  "  the  Most 
High  ruleth  in  the  kingdom  of  men,"  and  that 
his  government  extends  over  the  whole  earth. 
This  was  the  lesson  which  the  king  of  Babylon 
was  taught  emphatically,  when  he  was  driven 
from  men  to  dwell  with  the  beasts  of  the  field. 
And  it  is  also  taught  in  the  history  of  Mordecai. 
The  veil  is  withdrawn,  and  we  seelfeeiiand  of 
God  directing,  controlling,  overruling,  and 
managing  the  events  of  time,  and  the  hearts  of 
men.  We  see  that  "  promotion  cometh  neither 
from  the  east,  nor  from  the  west,  nor  from  the 
south.  But  God  is  judge ;  he  putteth  down 
one,  and  setteth  up  another."    The  same  lesson 


GODS    CARE    OF    HIS    CHURCH.    809 

is  taught  us  even  in  the  histories  of  other  na- 
tions ;  for  nothing  can  befal  a  people,  a  family, 
or  an  individual,  without  the  divine  appoint- 
ment or  permission.  "  God  ruleth  among  the 
nations." 

In  the  second  place,  we  learn  from  this  por- 
tion of  Scripture  the  peculiar  care  with  which 
God  watches  over  his  Church  and  his  people. 
This  is  often  celebrated  in  Scripture,  and  pre- 
sented under  various  similitudes.  At  one  time 
it  is  compared  to  the  attention  which  a  husband- 
man pays  to  a  favourite  spot  on  which  he  has 
bestowed  great  labour  and  cost.  "  Sing  ye  unto 
her,  A  vineyard  of  red  wine.  I  the  Lord  do 
keep  it ;  I  will  water  it  every  moment :  lest  any 
hurt  it,  I  will  keep  it  night  and  day."  In 
another  place  it  is  likened  to  the  instinctive 
affection  with  which  the  fowl  guards  its  un- 
fledged brood.  "  As  birds  flying,  so  will  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  defend  Jerusalem;  defending 
also  he  will  deliver  it;  and  passing  over  he 
will  preserve  it."  And  again,  we  find  it  com- 
pared to  the  tender  solicitude  wdth  which  an 
affectionate  mother  watches  over  the  infant  on 
26 


310  LECTURES     ON    ESTHER. 

her  breast.  '•  Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking- 
child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on 
the  son  of  her  womb?  Yea,  they  may  forget, 
yet  will  not  I  forget  thee."  The  Church  has 
been  like  a  lily  among  thorns — like  a  spark  in 
the  ocean — like  a  besieged  city.  But  no  weapon 
formed  against  her  has  prospered.  We  see 
this  exemplified  in  the  divine  conduct  towards 
the  posterity  of  Abraham,  throughout  their 
whole  history.  "  When  they  were  but  a  few 
men  in  number,  yea,  very  few,  and  strangers 
in  the  land,  he  suffered  no  man  to  do  them 
w^rong ;  yea,  he  reproved  kings  for  their  sakes  ; 
saying,  Touch  not  mine  anointed,  and  do  my 
prophets  no  harm."  How  did  he  watch  over 
them  when  oppressed  in  Egypt,  when  wander- 
ing in  the  wilderness,  and  after  they  were  settled 
in  Canaan !  Nor  was  his  care  of  them  confined 
to  the  promised  land;  it  continued  after  they 
were  scattered  for  their  sins,  and  when  "  they 
went  from  one  nation  to  another,  and  from  one 
kingdom  to  another  people."  Though  they 
were  sown  among  all  nations,  yet  not  one  grain 
of  the  seed  was  lost.  The  Books  of  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah  testify  the  divine  conservation  of  the 


INSTRUMENTS    RAISED    UP.      311 

remnant  which  returned  from  the  captivity ;  and 
the  book  of  Esther  bears  witness  that  those  who 
were  left  behind  were  not  forgotten. 

The  same  care  was  extended  to  the  church 
under  the  new  dispensation.  O,  remember 
what  a  watchful  providence  was  exerted  over 
the  infant  child  Jesus,  and  over  the  infant  Chris- 
tian church  !  Consult  the  records  of  this  care 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  (chap.  ix.  and  xii,) 
and  the  prophetic  descriptions  of  it  in  the  Book 
of  Revelation  (chap,  xii.)  And  the  same  eye 
which  watches  over  the  church,  watches  over 
its  individual  members.  "  The  eyes  of  the 
Lord  are  upon  the  righteous,  and  his  ears  are 
open  to  their  cry." 

In  the  third  place,  we  are  called  to  observe 
the  wondeiful  manner  in  which  God  raises  up 
instruments  for  the  preservation  and  deliverance 
of  his  people.  The  way  in  which  Esther  and 
Mordecai  were  raised  up  for  this  purpose  was 
very  remarkable,  and  recalls  many  other  in- 
stances of  a  similar  kind  recorded  in  Scripture. 
How  wonderful  to  think  that  Joseph,  hated  by 
his  brethren,  sold  for  a  slave,  and  cast  into 
prison,  should,  in  consequence  of  these  very  dis 


4 
312  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

asters,  be  raised  up  to  preserve  the  chosen  family 
of  God !  How  wonderful  that,  in  the  days  of 
Pharaoh,  when  a  decree  is  passed  to  destroy  all 
the  male  children  of  Israel,  it  was  "at  this  time 
that  Moses  was  born ;"  he  is  exposed  on  the 
waters  ;  and  this  bloody  edict  is  the  means  not 
only  of  his  preservation,  but  of  bringing  him 
into  the  family  of  the  oppressor,  in  which  he  was 
qualified  for  the  public  charge  which  he  after- 
wards sustained  as  the  deliverer  of  his  people! 
David  is  taken  from  the  sheep-fold  to  feed  God's 
people ;  and  Esther,  an  orphan  and  an  exile,  is 
exalted  to  be  a  mother  in  Israel. 

"  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?" 
How  unlikely  was  it,  and  how  many  difficulties 
were  in  the  Avay !  To  remove  these,  "  a  decree 
went  out  that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed;  and 
Joseph  went  up  from  Galilee,  out  of  the  city  of 
Nazareth,  into  Judea,  unto  the  city  of  David, 
which  is  called  Bethlehem."  And  there  Mary 
brought  forth  her  first-born  son,  and  laid  him 
in  a  manger.  Again,  another  decree  goes  forth 
for  the  destruction  of  little  children,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  parents  flee  into  Egypt, 
•'  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  of 


LUTHER    AND    HAMILTON.        313 

the  Lord  by  the  prophet,  Out  of  Egypt  have  I 
called  my  son."  Truly,  this  was  "  a  root 
springing  out  of  a  dry  ground  !"  Could  it  have 
been  anticipated  that  this  was  "  the  Saviour  of 
the  world?" 

Who  would  have  thought  that  a  man,  born 
in  an  obscure  village  of  Germany,  and  brought 
up  in  a  cloister,  would  be  the  intrument  of 
bursting  the  fetters  of  superstition  and  priest- 
craft, and  of  kindling  a  fire  which  the  united 
powers  of  Europe,  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  could 
not  extinguish  or  suppress?  To  have  seen  a 
young  man  of  rank  leaving  Scotland,  accompa- 
nied by  two- domestics,  on  a  tour  to  the  conti- 
nent, who  would  have  anticipated  that  his 
return  would  be  the  signal  for  emancipating  his 
native  country  from  antichristian  bondage,  and 
the  means  of  shedding  down  on  it  all  the  bless- 
ings which  it  enjoys  to  this  day !  "  Oh,  the 
depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  anc 
knowledge  of  God  !  How  unsearchable  are 
his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out!" 
In  the  fourth  place,  we  cannot  fail  to  have 
observed  the  surprising  manner  in  which  Pro- 
26* 


314  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

vidence  opens  np  the  way  in  which  these  instru- 
ments are  destined  to  act,  and  provides  before- 
hand for  the  preservation  of  his  people,  and  for 
defeating  the  plots  of  her  enemies.  What  could 
Mordecai  or  Esther  have  done  for  their  people, 
if  God  had  not  placed  them  in  situations  of 
influence,  in  which  their  voice  might  be  heard, 
and  their  patriotism  find  scope  for  its  exercise  ? 
How  much  was  it  beyond  the  bounds  of  all 
probability  that  an  orphan  captive  should  be- 
come the  favourite  spouse  of  the  sultan  of  Per- 
sia !  Vashti  was  established,  not  only  on  the 
throne,  but  in  the  affections  of  her  husband,  and 
she  had  it  in  her  power  to  preserve  both.  And 
yet  she  is  desposed  and  disgraced,  to  make  way 
for  Esther,  just  in  time  to  enable  the  latter  to 
crush  a  vile  plot  for  the  extermination  of  her 
people.  Then  there  was  the  discovery  of  the 
conspiracy  against  the  life  of  Ahasuerus  by 
Mordecai,  and  the  singular  manner  in  which 
the  king  was  brought  to  the  recollection  of  that 
favour  at  the  very  time  that  Haman  came  to 
request  permission  to  put  Mordecai  to  death. 
The  history  of  the  church  abounds  with  similar 
instances  of  divine  interposition;  and  the  life  of 


DUTY    OF    TRUST    IN    GOD.         315 

every  private  Christian,  when  closely  reviewed, 
will  present  to  him  a  multitude  of  coincidences 
almost  equally  surprising,  and  which,  though 
apparently  fortuitous,  are,  in  reality,  the  doings 
of  Him  who  is  "  wonderful  in  counsel,  and  ex- 
cellent in  working." 

Again,  how  emphatically  are  we  taught  by 
this  histor}^  the  duty  of  placing  our  sole  trust 
and  dependence  on  God !  "  Put  not  your  trust 
in  princes,  nor  in  the  son  of  man,  in  whom 
there  is  no  stay."  How  slippery  is  the  path  of 
ambition  !  how  deceitful  the  gale  of  worldly 
prosperity !  And  how  easy  is  it  with  God  to 
bring  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats,  and 
exalt  them  of  low  degree !  "  Happy  is  he  that 
hath  the  God  of  Jacob  for  his  help,  whose  hope 
is  in  the  Lord  his  God;  which  made  heaven 
and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  therein  is;  which 
keepeth  truth  forever;  which  executeth  judg- 
ment for  the  oppressed ;  which  giveth  food  to 
the  hungry.  The  Lord  preserveth  the  stran- 
gers ;  he  relieveth  the  fatherless  and  widow ; 
but  the  way  of  the  wicked  he  turneth  upside 
down." 

In  fine,  we  learn  from  an  examination  of  this 


316  LECTURES    ON     ESTHER. 

book,  the  high  utility  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures,  and  their  standing  authority  as  a 
rule  both  to  individuals  and  communities.  "All 
Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and 
is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correc- 
tion, for  instruction  in  righteousness."  This 
book,  in  particular,  contains  lessons  fitted  alike 
for  the  prince  on  the  throne,  and  the  lo\Yest 
menial  in  his  kingdom.  It  shows  us  how 
Christians  are  expected  to  act  when  elevated,  in 
providence,  to  stations  of  rank,  influence,  and 
authority.  And  these  lessons  are  not  the  less 
to  be  regarded  because  they  are  to  be  found  in 
the  Old  Testament. 

Time  was  when  interpreters  were  accustom- 
ed to  appeal  to  the  Old  Testament  in  support  of 
particular  practices,  without  duly  considering 
the  difference  between  the  Jewish  and  the 
Christian  dispensation.  The  time  is  now  come 
when,  on  the  ground  of  that  difference,  inter- 
preters, for  want  of  just  principles,  are  in  dan- 
ger of  evacuating  the  authority  of  the  greater 
part  of  the  inspired  volume,  and  rendering  its 
instructions  uncertain,  if  not  altogether  nuga- 


THE    OLD    TESTAMENT.  317 

tory.  Its  interpretation  is  thus,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, converted  (if  I  may  use  the  expression) 
into  a  game  of  chance,  or  a  leap  in  the  dark. 
So  long  as  the  contents  of  the  Old  Testament 
agree  with  his  opinions,  the  interpreter  rests 
his  argument  on  its  dictates;  hut  no  sooner 
does  he  meet  with  anything  which  contradicts 
a  favourite  dogma,  than  he  reckons  it  sufficient 
to  exclaim,  "  Oh  this  refers  to  the  Jews  and  to 
Jewish  governors!"  I  know  of  nothing  that 
would  contribute  more  to  the  establishment  of 
Christians,  and,  I  may  add,  to  the  removal  of 
differences  subsisting  among  the  friends  of  evan- 
gelical and  practical  religion,  than  the  laying 
down  of  solid  principles  for  the  application  of 
the  Old  Testament,  founded  on  the  analogy  be- 
tween it  and  the  New,  as  proceeding  from  the 
same  divine  author,  and  intended  to  promote 
the  same  great  ends.  But,  alas !  from  these 
principles  we  seem  to  be  receding  faster  than 
ever,  and  I  see  no  prospect  of  our  returning  to 
them,  until  the  falsity  of  the  fashionable  notions 
have  been  demonstrated  by  the  palpable  and 
pernicious  consequences  to  which  they  natu- 


318  LECTURES    ON    ESTHER. 

rally  lead.  It  is  easy  to  start  new  views,  or 
new  versions,  of  particular  passages;  but,  to 
give  a  consistent  meaning  to  tbe  inspired  vol- 
ume— to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God — 
and,  by  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spirit- 
ual, and  one  part  of  Scripture  with  another,  to 
exhibit  the  entire  system  of  truth,  assigning  to 
each  part  its  proper  place  and  its  due  weight, 
— we  must  learn  to  interpret  and  apply  the  in- 
structions of  Old  Testament  Scripture. 


THE     END. 


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